Summary
Cartshed of late C18 or early C19 date, extended by the mid C19 and later part of a cattle yard.
Reasons for Designation
This L-shaped farm building is designated for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: a substantially intact open-fronted cartshed of late C18 or early C19 date, extended by the mid C19 and later part of a cattle yard;
* Rarity: the chimney with two ovens inserted for seasonal use as a hop pickers' kitchen is evidence of an important, very labour intensive regional industry. Hop pickers' kitchens, and other buildings associated with hop pickers, are now extremely rare both regionally and nationally;
* Group value: this building is part of a farm group with a listed barn and farmhouse.
History
This L-shaped farm building is shown on the 1872 Kent six inch Ordnance Survey map, and subsequent 6 inch and 25 inch editions, enclosing the north and east sides of a closed yard, probably a cattle yard. However it appears from differences in the timber framing and rear brick walls that the north side was probably constructed first, possibly as a cart shed, in the late C18 or early C19, and the east side added in the mid-C19. The two brick chimneys were inserted into the western bay of the north range in the first half of the C19 for its use as a hop pickers' kitchen during the hop-picking season and the building was also probably used seasonally to house hop pickers before the construction of hop pickers' huts. In September 1849 an outbreak of cholera had killed 43 hop pickers in East Farleigh, also in Kent, and as a result there were campaigns to improve the conditions of the hop pickers which led to the erection of dedicated Hoppers Huts. The early ones were constructed of timber, brick huts were constructed after 1850 and later C19 ones were clad in corrugated iron.
Details
DATE: the northern range was probably constructed in the late C18 or early C19 as a cart shed and the eastern range was probably added in the mid-C19. Both parts are shown on the 1872 Ordnance Survey map, by which time the buildings were part of a cattle yard, but the southern end of the eastern side was lopped off in 1982 to provide a wider access for large vehicles. The south end wall and possibly the west were rebuilt in the later C20. The C20 structure with a corrugated iron roof attached at the south-east angle is not of special interest.
End of official list entry
