Hopping in Kent
At the end of the season would come the festivities.
There would be all manner of things happening. The crowning of the hop queen
and parade through the streets. Then all the other competitions, the yard
of ale drinking contest, tug-o-war and talent contest.
Now the work is finished, time to play......
Pick the prettiest girl for the Hop Queen.
The men know how to enjoy themselves.
Time to work off all of the beer.
To round off the festival an Ox was roasted. Everybody would sit around singing, eating and drinking. Saying good bye to old and new found friends. Making arrangements for meeting again next year. Hopping carried on right through the fifties, and ended in the sixties. A way of life ended.
Today there are hardly any hops left, Beltring Hop Farm (Whitbread Hop Farm) is about the biggest and oldest, but even this is a museum-exhibition.
Plenty for everyone at the Ox roast.