A Retrospect

1898

August 28 With the advent of the hop-picking season there was again an influx of tramps, and many disorderly scenes were witnessed in the streets. Some of the offenders were severely dealt with by the magistrates.

1901

August 29 First Load of Hereford hops sent to London by Mr. W. F. PUDGE, Bishops Frome.

September 7 at this date it was estimated that there were 10,000 Pickers in the hopyards, most of whom came from the black country.

1902

April 1 Hopgrowers' Association for Herefordshire and Worcestershire formed at a public meeting at the Feathers Hotel.

October 7 At this date the tramping hop-pickers had been reduced by about 800 on account of the termination of hop-picking

Tony Dalley - Is it right that the Withens Farm is now the Withers Farm on the Wellington Heath Rd?

Tony Dalley - I particularly like the chap on the left front holding the fuel for the day. The Srumpy Cider.

Hope you dont mind but I did a bit of investigating for your initial query. I amm thinking that maybe the N in WITHENS may have been a typo by the printers...I believe it was to Miss Louisa Catherine GROVES ( single aged 32, working at Rose Place, Claines for Mr and Mrs RIGDEN as a servant ) Louisa was from Wellington Heath. The Withers is shown on Burtons Lane on old maps and is also referred to as Willows...LR

Chris Ponter - Love these old hop yard pics, My Grandad was chief drier in the kilns at BAYNHAMS for many a year

Wow that's my nan and uncle !!...JE

I can remember Mr and Mrs EMERY in oatleys cresent, they lived next to Robert and Christine BAKER, such a lovely couple...VB

Jenny Lawrence - 1st left Mrs DANCE, unknown, Lilian HINDMARCH, the rest unknown

Love these hop picking photos. Always on the look out for my nan. She came here from Dudley to do the hops and met my grandad. Without these hops I wouldn't be here!...CE

Chris Ponter - I love them to part of our lives I used to have my own little crib and picked along side my mum, still to this day love the smell of hops

I remember picking into an upturned umbrella...JL

Lady in turban Elsie JONES, Bill SANDFORD with cap

Chris Ponter - Another great photo

Love to know where!...SC

Jenny Lawrence - Fantastic photo...JL

Chris Ponter - Can you smell those lovely hops sure I can !!

Jenny Lawrence - Do you think the 2 ladies were the owners tallying up the bushels? They look a bit well dressed for hop picking

Brenda Hill - Can remember the smell now. Could not get rid of the stain on the hands for ages after

Chris Ponter - Lovely photo, Yes but a lovely smell I still get a branch every year and hang, good old days, happy memories

Chris Ponter - My Grandad won quite a few prizes for his hop growing at BAYNHAMS

Janet Jones - The lady with the book was Mr MADDOCKS daughter Monica, Jim MARSH my brother in law is the one holding the hop pocket, they used to call bushel them up when they were ready to measure them. Good old days

Chris Ponter - Who remembers the varieties. Fuggles/Challenger/Northdown/Target/ Progress. These were all grown on Ledbury hop farms hence the street names on New Mills estate. Yes tied many of them the fugglles were the worse used to call them ? fuggles. I spent one season living in the Kilns at BAYNHAMS drying them. Hard hot work. They were brought up from the Hopyards in sacks which had to be tipped out and spread sack by sack then after they were dried you emptied the Kiln they had to be pushed out of the Kilns above with large wooden shovels onto the next floor down to cool off. Then the next morning they were pushed by hand down a hole in that floor to be pressed into the Hop Pockets. You had to live and sleep there constantly for a few weeks it was a 24/7 operation when the hops were being picked and you usually had to break your sleep in the middle of the night to unload a Kiln. A big barrel of Cider was always ordered from Westons for the Kiln workers and it didn't take long to empty it !!

Never realised those street names came fron hop varieties. Also interesting to hear Fuggles. Wasn't that a name of a bar in Ledbury at some point?...CE

Chris Ponter - Yes at the Feathers. Still called that I think

Jenny Lawrence - God I hated hop picking

Chris Ponter - I loved it had a little crib next to my mums still love the smell of hops, such great times

The only way I like hops is in a half pint glass with a bag of crisps!...JL

Great times I loved it...RW

Jenny Lawrence - Maybe Munsley, Ashperton

Brenda Hill - Bushel em up !!!

Pauline Preedy - Shilling a bushel

Remember all those earwigs!!!!...HCB

I loved hop picking! Do you remember when we used to help they would turn an umbrella upside down and we would pick into that. I It was great if you were chosen to be thrown into the crib after it had been emptied - the smell was amazing. Mum was called to get me once as i was washing all the other childrens hair under the pump!!...FP

Just look at all those happy faces, no mobiles/ipods/xboxes etc and probabely no nothing at all, this photo should be COMPULSORY viewing in the schools today, lovely photo...TW

We lived on a hop farm for years love this photo I have some of the hop cribs at LEEKS at staplow and Juggs Green farm...VB

Chris Ponter - Loved going hop picking with my mum up to wall hills, still love the smell of hops to this day try and get a spray each year, picking in the umbrella picking out the leafs and hearing the bushler shout 1 bushel, 2 bushel etc, good good times everyone so friendly

Judy Baker - I am sure that hop-picking and picking the leaves out of the crib, gave me the obsession of picking all tiny weeds out of the garden! Can remember going to Gloucester on the train after hop-picking to buy new winter clothes with the 'hop-picking money,' with my gran. M and S flannelette pyjamas!

Love this pic as all the children look so happy ...JK