Crowborough Farm Huts/Houses.

[abel101]

Crowborough Farm Huts - April 2012

Okay so while in the area of crowborough, we come across these little farms, it was worth the explore before moving onto "Potters Manor" and really got us all in the mood for a good explore, we spent about an hour or so here making our way across the broken floors, and getting caught in brambles.
Good explore with fellow member on here DMG15 and the GF.
(DMG15 will no doubt add his photos to this thread too)

Any history you guys know about these little farm huts/houses feel free to add to it

Enjoy the pictures.


P1050628 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050620 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050631 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050632 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050636 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050637 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050641 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050642 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050643 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050647 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050655 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050653 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050658 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050659 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050669 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


P1050682 by Abel History Repeats, on Flickr


Thanks For Looking Guys

 

[UE-OMJ]

Did the piano still work? That place certainly has seen better days but yeh well worth a look.

 

[abel101]

nope the piano didnt shame really.

 

[matt22272]

these bring back memories fella when i was living in uckfield and me and my mates used to go to these huts for a cheeky "smoke" and that was about 20 years ago lol

 

[abel101]

haha no way! how interesting!
Glad I brought back memories matey, wouldnt suggest a cheeky smoke in there now, unless you plan on falling down into a sludgy pile of god knows what below the other guy I went with walked down to the bottom and ended up caked in mud, I wasnt planning on coming back muddy but I still did
was it a wreck back then?

 

[matt22272]

they were not that bad mate, we used to call the place the chicken sheds and im so suprised they are still there

 

[abel101]

only four was standing!
the rest had crumbled down and others where half caved in, still interesting to know that you ventured there 20 years ago

 

[flyboys90]

Do you think they may have been used by seasonal workers? hop collecting or something like that.great photos.

 

[Ninja Kitten]

like places like this..cant beat a bit of rurex

 

[abel101]

first time exploring farms/huts and rather enjoyed the explore, would love to find more round my way though
Thanks for looking people!

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

first time exploring farms/huts and rather enjoyed the explore, would love to find more round my way though

In the 1920's and 30's and certainly into the 50's, Kent had vast numbers of this type of temporary agricultural accommodation. Used by the seasonal Hop and fruit pickers, who certainly in the interwar years were made up from families escaping the deprivation of the inner London slums. In the late 70's the Kent County library had a number of well written social histories about this seasonal work and the people who picked the crops, unfortunately I have no idea where this information can be found now.

This type of building was certainly marked on the OS maps of the period, so I suggest you research the OS maps of the 20's /30's to see if there were any in your immediate area. Look for old coppiced woodlands because many of these places were built away from the productive fields and orchards.

From the chimney stack photographed in your report I would suggest that these buildings originated in the early 1920's, being turned into 'chicken' sheds when they were no longer fit for human habitation or the picking had become mechanised and seasonal workers were no longer needed. Sad really - because reading the social histories made one realised how enjoyable those seasonal activities were to those involved.

 

[abel101]

Thanks alot Dirus really gave me a decent idea on these farms/huts, and I will certainly look into these abit more, when I have abit more time on my hands and do alot more searching, thanks again!

 

[Crimz]

Really enjoyed the piano shot! Really good footage
~Crim

 

[abel101]

thanks alot mate
it was my first piano find aswel haha!

 

[The Archivist]

The farm is called Lower Steep Farm and I'm not sure if it's anything to do with Steep Park (AKA Potters Manor) but it seems likely given the close proximity and similar state of decay. If so, I'd guess that the farm started to decline about the same time as the gardens and parkland in the late 80s/early 90s when the owners became too old to maintain them and/or the staff became too expensive.

I'd agree with the hop picking/seasonal workers theory: hop farming was once a very important industry in this area. That said, the farm was definitely a mixed one as there is a largish dairy in the northern part of the site and also the remains of a piggery.

 

[abel101]

cheers for the info
I recently found out, that there is possibly more of these in that area

 

[fleydog]

Nice bright set! And i love Father Jacks chair in the corner!

 

[abel101]

thanks alot