Tha Original i30 Owners Club
GENERAL STUFF => GENERAL DISCUSSIONS => Random Chit Chat => Topic started by: AlanHo on May 19, 2015, 20:14:45
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We are currently away on another monthly break – this time in East Sussex, a County neither of us have visited before. We are staying in a cottage near to the town of Rye which is called Hop Press Cottage. This is a photo of the exterior
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010604_zpsxblkazfq.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010604_zpsxblkazfq.jpg.html)
The area we are staying in used to be mainly farms growing hops - as evidenced by the number of Oast Houses seen all around us, most of which have been converted to houses
A few hundred years ago – an Oast house was usually a two story building – of stone or brick and wood, used for drying and bagging hops before delivery to the brewery. At one end of the building the upper floor was for the placement of green hops onto a slatted floor, below which there was a fire sending warm air through the hops to dry them. There was a conical roof above the drying floor surmounted by a hollow rotating exhaust cone which helped to draw the warm air evenly through the hops to dry them. It took about 8 hours at 160 C to do this.
:link: Hopping down in Kent (http://www.hoppingdowninkent.org.uk/oasthouse_interactive.php)
When the hops were dry they were raked into the upper floor of the second half of the building where they were laid out on the floor to cool. When cool they were raked into the hop press which comprised a vertical rack with a circular platen at its base to push the dry hops into Jute pockets (sacks) which were suspended from the first floor level. The hop press was manually operated by a hand crank via a gear engaging with the rack.
Each sack would contain 1500 litres of dry hops, but much compressed, and weigh about 1.2 cwt (140 lbs). When full they were dropped onto the ground floor where they were stored for delivery to the brewery.
It was not unusual for fires to damage or destroy oast houses when the hops were allowed to dry too much and a fire developed.
Our cottage was no exception some 150 years ago and only half of the original building remains – being the part where the hops were cooled and where the hop press was located. After half the building was lost it was converted to accommodation for hop workers and later converted to a farm and now holiday cottage.
Here are a few random pics of the inside the cottage which has a cosy lounge and the smallest kitchen in the World
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010622_zpst5uqgslj.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010622_zpst5uqgslj.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010609_zps6tetl4sn.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010609_zps6tetl4sn.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010611_zpscb5vmynu.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010611_zpscb5vmynu.jpg.html)
These are a few shots of Rye starting with the only remaining gate into what used to be a walled town.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010630_zpsygpgbabj.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010630_zpsygpgbabj.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010628_zpsrzsjtqd7.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010628_zpsrzsjtqd7.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010627_zpsjuiyz47y.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010627_zpsjuiyz47y.jpg.html)
And my wife Libby – an animal lover – stopping to stroke an 8 month old ugly dog
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010625_zpsbxa97ipw.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010625_zpsbxa97ipw.jpg.html)
Finally – after a day day of sun and showers we were treated to a violent hail storm this evening. At about 6:00 pm in relatively full sun the heavens opened and it hailed for no more than a minute or two. The noise on the cottage roof and windows was deafening and I was concerned that it would damage the car. For a short while the ground was white over – but the sun soon started to melt it so I ventured outside and took the following pics. The hail stones on the glass roof of the car were roughly 8mm diameter – but no damage is evident.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010631_zps4szmni3e.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010631_zps4szmni3e.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/AlanHo1937/i30%20Forum/P1010633_zpsux7bcico.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AlanHo1937/media/i30%20Forum/P1010633_zpsux7bcico.jpg.html)
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Say what you like, I think that's a wonderful looking place :D
Great pics :goodjob:
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Great pics.
Had hail here as well this afternoon!!!
Are those real hops along the fire place or plastic one?
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Great pics.
Had hail here as well this afternoon!!!
Are those real hops along the fire place or plastic one?
Real hops - the first time I have ever seen any. Gives a new meaning to my nick name Hoppy.
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Great pics.
Had hail here as well this afternoon!!!
Are those real hops along the fire place or plastic one?
Real hops - the first time I have ever seen any. Gives a new meaning to my nick name Hoppy.
Thanks.
Now take some home and make your own brew
:drinks: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks: :drinks:
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up to your usual high standards Alan :goodjob: :goodjob: :goodjob:
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:wts: Loved the little curved street scene (could see us walking along there - figuratively speaking of course) :goodjob:
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Magic photos Alan and thank's for the interesting comments , loved it. My Daughter was three years old in 1969 when we emigrated to Australia , she loves the UK program " Escape to the country " and is fascinated with the English cottages and countryside, I am sure she will enjoy seeing this post. Brought back many memories to me as well. Colchester in Essex is very similar to Rye with a gated entrance and the the town was also walled. Colchester town also had a moat surrounding it, that is now a surrounding road. The castle is still standing and makes for a great visit . The dungeons under the castle make you appreciate how bad it was in the early days. Prisoners also had their family imprisoned with them . They were charged money every day for their keep , food etc and if they had nobody on the outside to pay their debt they were in there for a very long time.
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Thanks Alan.
We stayed in a B&B outside Canterbury in 2000. It was called "Oast House".
Had dinner at a nearby pub. Our first introduction to the term, "free house".
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Our first introduction to the term, "free house".
Wasn't free, was it!
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Our first introduction to the term, "free house".
Wasn't free, was it!
Free choice of brands though. :goodjob2:
Nice pub meal and great atmosphere.
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Like free houses as they are not tied to a brewery/landlord/owner.
A few free houses near me and they tend to have their regular brews but also a selection of rotating brews from brewery's further afield which you would never try unless they appear at beer festivals.
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Thanks Alan. I always enjoy your photos of the trips that you take. Particularly the stories that go with them.