Continuing my occasional visits to the River Medway and uncovering some of the history surrounding it, moving upstream from the last shot at Yalding you come to Hartlake Bridge.This is now a modern concrete and steel structure but was the scene of a tragedy in 1853. This area of mid-Kent was known for its hop farms, and farmers would import cheap labour from far and wide at harvest-time (not that much has changed in the last 160 years in this respect). On 20 October 1853 a wagon carrying approx 40 hop-pickers was en route back to their campsite when a wheel struck the side of the timber structure at Hartlake Bridge. This upended the wagon, tipping the occupants into the river, at the time swollen in flood. Thirty are recorded as dying in the accident, the youngest 2 years old, the oldest 59. There is a memorial to them at nearby St Mary's Church, Hadlow.
The bridge was replaced by a narrow stone bridge shortly after this, and then more recently in 2004 the current modern structure was installed carrying two lanes of traffic.
The days of hop-farming in Kent are long gone, the Oast Houses which were used in the hop-drying process now converted to residential use and the farms devoted to modern crops or consumed in urban development. This remains a quiet area and there is a plaque to the 1853 disaster at the bridge roadside.
got goosebumps reading your narrative. So sad.
Even though times have changed, the 'village' tranquillity seems to have remained.
Looks like a peaceful and tranquil place for walks. You are so lucky to have this close by
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The history of so many areas has sorrowful tales to tell - and often we have no idea of them. This is a sad tale - but interesting in its own way. It makes you wonder why hops are no longer grown there? :)
@fbailey Felicity, thanks, the water level is usually between 0.5 and 1m. At the time of the disaster it says the river was swollen, and I read one account which indicated the water level had risen to almost bridge height (c 2m). Of more importance, probably, is that road ways and surrounding countryside were submerged to some extent. Another account states that no attempt was made by the authorities at rescue or retrieval, which was left to family and other hop-pickers. A sad tale.
@robz Rob, I think that has little to do with this disaster and more to do with general trends in hop production, treatment and farming. However, this and other recurrent flood incidents did eventually lead to the authorities building weirs along the river to help control water levels (successfully).
@peadar Hi Peter. Mmicro and craft breweries are popping up everywhere over here - we even have a hops grower on the Granite Belt - he supplies hops to 2 craft breweries in our district. Both are hugely popular and apparently (so Errol tells me!) the different beers depend to a large extent on the type of hops. It quite interesting. :)
May 31st, 2019
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Even though times have changed, the 'village' tranquillity seems to have remained.
Looks like a peaceful and tranquil place for walks. You are so lucky to have this close by
fav
Katharine