History

Pitt Farm, Frensham, Surrey : A History of Farming and Hop Growing

Introduction

Pitt Farm is one of the historic farms of Frensham, Surrey, with roots that can be traced back at least to the eighteenth century. While the exact date of its establishment remains unknown, evidence suggests that it was already an important agricultural holding by the 1700s. The presence of oast houses at the farm reflects its long association with hop growing, an industry that once played a vital role in the economy and social life of the Frensham and Churt area.

Historic records refer to Pitt Farm as one of three principal farms in the parish, alongside Beale Place Farm and Home Farm. During the eighteenth century these farms became involved in what was described as a “bitter dispute” concerning the payment of tithes, demonstrating both their significance and the value of the land they occupied.

Pitt Farm and the Landscape of Frensham

The historic maps included with this article show the wider parish of Frensham and help place Pitt Farm within its rural setting. For centuries the farm formed part of a landscape of commons, woodland, heathland, and cultivated fields stretching across the Surrey-Hampshire border.

The Ordnance Survey map of Frensham illustrates the agricultural character of the parish during the nineteenth century. Farms such as Pitt Farm were at the heart of local rural life, providing employment, supporting local families, and contributing to the area's agricultural prosperity.

The Hop Industry at Pitt Farm

The most distinctive feature of Pitt Farm's history was its involvement in hop cultivation. The construction of oast houses on the farm confirms that hops were grown and dried there on a significant scale.

Historical accounts indicate that during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries hops were often considered more profitable than grain crops. Farmers around Farnham became particularly renowned for producing high-quality hops, which were highly regarded by buyers from the West of England.

Once harvested and dried, hops from the Farnham district were transported by wagon to Weyhill Fair near Andover, one of England's most important agricultural markets. Contemporary accounts describe the immense scale of the fair, where hundreds of thousands of sheep and large quantities of agricultural produce changed hands each year.

Hop Picking at Pitt Farm

For many local families, hop picking was one of the most important annual events of the year. School holidays were deliberately arranged around the hop harvest, usually beginning in the final week of August.

Families travelled from Churt, Frensham, Batts Corner, and surrounding villages to work in the hop fields. Many people from Churt came specifically to the fields around Pitt Farm, where the oast houses and kilns were located. Other hop fields were situated at Speakley and Dockenfield.

The picking season typically lasted between three weeks and a month. Workers were paid by the bushel, with rates generally ranging from two to three pence per bushel depending on the quality of the crop. Between thirty and forty families might be employed during the harvest.

Each family worked with baskets of varying sizes. Smaller baskets carried by individual pickers were emptied into larger six-bushel baskets. These larger baskets were carefully marked to measure the quantity picked. When full, the hops were transferred into large sackcloth containers known as surplices, which could hold twelve bushels. The sacks were secured with iron pins before being taken for drying.

Children played an important role in the harvest. One of their duties was to summon the tallyman whenever a family basket had been filled so that the amount picked could be officially recorded.

The hop-growing methods of the period differed considerably from those used today. Hop plants were grown in pairs, each with its own pole. Strings were used mainly to prevent damage during strong winds rather than as the primary means of support.

Men were employed to cut the binds and pull down the hop poles. Each man typically supervised enough plants to keep around twelve families occupied with picking.

The workday began early. Children often left home at seven o'clock in the morning, and every basket was expected to be in use by eight. Conditions could be challenging. Pickers remembered frosty mornings, stained hands, and the distinctive smell of hops that seemed to flavour everything they touched. There were no hand-washing facilities and no toilets in the fields, yet the harvest continued with remarkable efficiency.

Around mid-morning, refreshments such as cakes and gingerbread were brought around the fields. Despite the hard work, many remembered the harvest season with affection, as it brought together families and neighbours from across the district.

Work would stop if rain began, and particularly successful days sometimes ended early when the kiln reached full capacity. At the end of each day, baskets, stools, coats, and other belongings were stacked neatly beneath an upturned basket before workers began the long walk home.

The Oast Houses and Kilns

The surviving evidence of oast houses at Pitt Farm provides an important reminder of the farm's role in the local hop industry. These specialised buildings were used to dry freshly harvested hops before they were packed and sent to market.

The kilns were central to the harvesting process. If the kiln became full, picking had to cease until more hops could be processed. This close connection between field work and drying operations made the oast house the operational heart of the farm during the harvest season.

Legacy

Although hop growing has largely disappeared from the Frensham area, Pitt Farm remains an important part of the parish's agricultural heritage. The farm's association with eighteenth-century tithe disputes, its role as a centre of hop production, and the memories of generations of hop pickers all contribute to its historical significance.

The photographs and maps preserved today provide valuable evidence of a way of life that shaped the communities of Frensham, Churt, and the surrounding villages for more than two centuries. Through these records, Pitt Farm continues to tell the story of rural Surrey and the people whose lives revolved around the annual rhythm of the hop harvest.

Poulsom Family

The Poulsom family moved to Pitt Farm from Wiltshire in 1935. Stanley Poulsom and his wife, Dorothy, made the farm their home, where they raised their two sons, David and Patrick.

Through years of hard work, Stanley and his family developed Pitt Farm into a thriving mixed farm. They established a successful dairy herd of British Friesians before expanding into egg production, eventually keeping 60,000 laying hens. Egg grading became a true family effort, with everyone playing a part in the daily work.

David and his wife, Linda, later welcomed their son, Mark, who continued the family's farming tradition. Mark was heavily involved in the arable side of the business, driving the combine harvester during harvest and helping with every aspect of the farm throughout the year.

Following Mark's passing, Pitt Farm has continued to grow under the stewardship of his father, David, and Mark's son, Ben. Ben carries on the family's farming tradition with the support of his sister, Hannah, and the wider Poulsom family, ensuring that the legacy established by previous generations continues to thrive.