WHITBREADS CHISWELL STREET

Whitebreads Shire horses have always been an integral part of the history of the brewery. In 1750 60 horses were kept at rented stables in Grub Street now named Milton Street, until the breweries own stables, began to be built in 1758. As the breweries production expanded, a larger stabling facility was needed.

In 1897 Garrett Street stable was open, this was a state of the art, industrial building which housed 100 horses. Built over three stories,  cast iron columns were required, to support brick arched floors, to help cope with the combined weight, of the strong lovable horses. The horses were vital in the breweries success, being used to deliver beer around the City of London, in a 10 mile radius. By 1904 the number of horses was at a staggering 400.

 During the First World War, 118 horses were commandeered by the Government, to help in the war effort alas none were to return home. The horses, also became a vital advertising tool, often paraded at carnivals, & country shows, they must have been a spectacular sight.

Alas, from the early part of the 20th century the number of horses started to diminish, due to mechanisation. The introduction of lorries, & heavy goods vehicles, meant the need for a large number of horses was no longer required.

By the 1960's only 32 horses remained, Whitbread as a company stopped brewing beer in 2001 completely moving onto other ventures.

The Weald of Kent, was a hive of activity, especially during the hop picking season. This area was known as the ,"Mother of Hop", where hops were planted in large quantity. Beltring & Stilstead farms near Tonbridge, grew some 300 hundred acres of crops.

During the month of September, over 2000 Londoners migrated to  help in the cultivation of this vast amount of crops, men, women,& children travelled from the East End yearly, to help harvest the hops, brewers needed to help with the countries thirst for beer.

Families would receive letters from the farmers, inviting them to work picking hops. Crockery, clothing, food,& bedding were packed for the trip, anything to make their accommodation more homely.

A special hop service,from London Bridge would sometimes take up to several hours to take the hop pickers to their country destination with the farmers laying on wagons to take them to their accommodation.

They would stay in huts on the farm, for up to periods of 6 weeks. It was seen not just as a way of earning extra money, but also as a kind of working holiday, to escape living in a dirty, polluted city. After a long day in the Hop Gardens, if funds were available, many of the families may have enjoyed a pint at the local pub. Those, who were not so fortunate, made the most of their time away from the big smoke.

They would entertain themselves, in evenings around the campfire, at the weekend,  friends & family would join those hop picking, some putting on plays & other forms of light entertainment.