Kent Hop Farming - Making Charcoal

The cultivation of hops and the manufacture of charcoal, using ancient and modern methods, feature in this fascinating film from the 1930s

This film starts by showing the overhead lattice required for hops to grow. As the bines grow upwards, men spray them with chemicals, while tractors and horses work alongside. We then see a forest kiln being constructed from wooden poles arranged into a dome. This is covered in straw and earth after which a man drops hot embers into the top of the kiln, thus beginning the slow process of pyrolysis. Raking the kiln reveals the charcoal, which fuels the furnaces of the oast-house.