Welcome to the Shepherdswell & Coldred History Society
Through this site you will be taken on a journey to our past, learning how events have shaped the people of this area and how the people have shaped the area.
History is a very fluid subject and so we will be constantly updating the information on this site as we learn more. We also hope to add both audio and visual recordings.
OUR NEXT MEETING
Thursday 24th April 2025
Shepherdswell Village Hall @ 7.30pm
Memories of Hopping in Kent with Phillippa Messiano from the Brook Rural Museum
In January 2024, Brook Rural Museum, in Brook, near Ashford, launched an Oral History project to record memories of Kentish hop picking. Funded by the National Lottery and Association of Independent Museums and working in partnership with the University of Kent Special Collections and Archives, Memories of Hopping interviewed people about their memories of hopping and hop production, particularly in Brook, Wye and surrounding areas.
The project culminated in an exhibition which featured oral history recordings and artefacts, including hop tokens and tally sticks, photographs, newspaper articles and rare books.
Tonight, the project organiser Philippa Messiano reports on its findings and talks about the history of hop production in Kent.
Philippa Mesiano completed her PhD in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent. She trained in heritage collections management at Canterbury Cathedral and now works as Community Engagement & Project Manager at Brook Rural Museum.
The society normally holds monthly meetings and regular talks at Shepherdswell Village Hall.
To view our full 2025 programme of events click here but do check this website regularly for any updates or amendments to the programme.
To download a hard copy of the programme, simply click here.
To contact the History Society, please email [email protected].
If you would like to become a member or renew your membership, you can either pay on the door at the next meeting or by BACS.
Click here for our bank details.
Our thanks to Dover District Council for the support it has given to the Society over the past few years which has greatly assisted our various projects as well as our ability to share the history of the village with the whole community.
The History Society is a member of the Kent Archaeological Society.