Yalding memories
Here are memories of Yalding and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Yalding or a Yalding photo.
Hop Picking on Buston Manor Farm, Yalding
My family name was Brewer and it seemed we went hop picking for ever. The last time was 1958. The following year my grandmother became ill and we could not go anymore. I was 12 the last time I went. I have written a story of my time spent on Buston Manor Farm and I would love to share it with anyone who was there at the same time. This would be between 1945 and l958. My grandmother's name was Nan Brewer and my grandfather's name was Bill Brewer. We were a big family and my grandmother had gone hop picking from when she was a baby. I have wonderful memories and at this time of the year every morning is a "hopping morning" with the dew on the grass and the particular smells of the countryside in September with blackberries, plums, apples and pears on the trees. My cousin Dana and I visited Cob Tree Farm in Maidstone 2 years ago and the scene there transported me back in... Read more
Kenward
When I was 6 years old my brother Ken and I went to live at Kenward, the Dr Barnardo's home in Yalding. It was a fantastic house and I can still remember the lay out of it. We had a wonderful childhood there. We had 'aunts' in the local shops and at Christmas time all the girls would get a doll with clothes knitted by an aunt. I can't remember what the boys got. I had 'uncles' on a mine sweeper called Chiefton. I still have a photo of the ship with all their names on the back. We had the fireman's party at Christmas time, and we thought fire drill was great fun. We had a donkey called Francis, who gave rides at the yearly fete. We also went hop picking, it was a great time . We went to the London Palladium to see 'Peter Pan', I think it was Margaret Lockwood who starred in it. Every summer we would head to the south coast for our summer... Read more
Hop Picking
Hello. I used to go hop picking every year to this farm with my relatives from Camberwell as well.
Evacuation
I was evacuated to Yalding during the war, this was to be my childhood days and as I was with a family who had a son about my age. It was fantastic and those 4 years I will never forget. My dream is to return and relive my childhood, travel to the places I remember so well, and to meet those who are still with us. I would love to have a friend from Yalding that I can stay in contact with, by email or letter. My email address is : teddybear82472000@yahoo.com so if there is anyone who may remember me or was around about 1940/45 please contact me. Thank you Ted
Memories of Kent
Brook Family
I know this is not a memory, however I am looking for any Brook family members, namely Edward and Ann Brook who moved there in the early 1800s.
Their son Benjamin emigrated to Australia in 1837 with his wife Mary Craddock, then their son James emigrated to Australia in 1850, and Edward emigrated to Australia in 1853. If anyone has any information please contact harttoheart@bigpond.com.
Lone Cottage East Farleigh
Does anyone have any information regarding Robert Horace Chilton or Nora Gwendoline Ashlee who lived at Lone Cottage in 1953. They had a young daughter (Linda) and a baby ( Robin). Robin was later adopted. We only lived there a very short time. I am trying to research my family tree. Please help.
You are so lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country
Hop Picking
Paddock Wood, in particular Beltring, the home of the famous Whitebread Oasts, was the centre of the Hop Gardens of Kent.
The Gardens were set out with rows of elevated wire tressles which were supported at intervals by poles.
In the spring, from each hop plant, which was cut back to ground level every year, the shoots were trained up, known as "twiddling". A new hop twine which was tied to a metal hook in the ground up to the overhead wire. There were usually four shoots per plant. By midsummer's day the shoots would reach the wire and flop over the top.
In early September the hops would be ready for picking.
Hop picking in Kent was carried out mainly by London families that came down for a working holiday. Some farms had hop pickers' huts in the Hop Gardens for the use of these families. Some families used to bring their own wallpaper to make it their own "home". Cooking and heating water was carried out on... Read more
My Road
The year i was born in this road. 119 Maidstone Road, the Woods residence. Side by side next to my granparents fish & chip shop. I always remember that the house to right of the phone box was always deralicet? Did something happen in that house?
Hop Picking
I too remember as a child visiting Paddock Wood with my nan, every year we would all pile into the back of a lorry and set of to the hop field. What wonderful memories, days I will never forget. We all came from Chiswick. Is there anybody else out there from the Chiswick area who went hop picking? If so, get in touch, thanks.
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