Kent Address in 1939

[alison300]

I've found someone on the 1939 Register with the address: 155 Hut, Swale, Kent - a bit strange but there are lots of 'huts' - were these temporary houses?

[tonepad]

Could be Hop Pickers Huts - for seasonal farm workers.

https://webapps.kent.gov.uk/KCC.ExploringKentsPast.Web.Sites.Public/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MKE89412


Tony

[alison300]

Thank you, very interesting.  I never considered how hop-pickers were housed.

[grandarog]

The 1939 Census was taken in September right in the Middle of Hop Picking.
The address you have found was one of the Huts at a Hop Farm  at White Hill , Painter's Forstal, Near Faversham. Kent.(Part of Swale).Most Huts were Corrigated iron one room,Some were Brick if you were lucky.
Most of the people listed for the huts would have been London families who were down here in Kent for the hop Picking.
It was regarded as a holiday with the perks of being paid for picking.
"The Alma" Pub, at Painters Forstal would have absorbed a lot of their money over the few weeks .The Pub probably took more money in that short picking season than all year.

[alison300]

Thank you - that's fascinating.  The husband was left in London working while his wife and 2 daughters were in Kent - must have been fun to get out of London.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  This has set me wondering how the people registered in the hop pickers huts were linked up with their home addresses?

[grandarog]

The main reason for the census was to get an accurate count of the population to estimate how many ration books etc. were needed and who was available for War work etc.The address was only a secondary item.