Colonel Stephens and the Hop Pickers Line, new information board unveiled at Paddock Wood
Back in January 2023, David Sargison of Paddock Wood Town Council proposed that we work with the Hop Pickers Line Heritage Group, to celebrate the former branch line that wound through the Kent countryside from Paddock Wood to Cranbrook. This would build on work from 2017, when information boards outlining the history of the line were sited at the station and key points along its route.
Kent CRP were asked to use our connections with Kent County Council to assist Paddock Wood Town Council with gaining consent to site a further information panel on highway land opposite the John Brunt VC public house, waymarking a link between the station and a future Hop Pickers Line Heritage Trail and creating an additional heritage board at the station.
Hop Pickers Line Heritage Group had funding for their panels and the costs of the waymarking were something we could easily cover. We were happy to help and by the Autumn the information panel and waymarking were in place.
Funding was still required for the information panel, where we had a stroke of good luck.
Jonathan Fryer, volunteer Deputy Chair of our Swale Rail Line, had proposed a project at Queenborough, to celebrate the Sheppey Light Railway. He had secured funding from the Colonel Stephens Society for information panels.
Formed in 1985, the Colonel Stephens Society caters for enthusiasts of the highly charismatic railways engineered and/or managed by Colonel Holman Fred Stephens. Both the Sheppey Light Railway and the Hop Pickers Line were connected to Colonel Stephens.
We had found other funding we could use to support the project at Queenborough and were delighted when the Colonel Stephens Society said we could switch some of their generous donation to fund the board at Paddock Wood. They also helped us with content for the panel and guided us to the Colonel Stephens Museum for images.
On Wednesday 18th December; we invited the Colonel Stephens Society, Paddock Wood Town Council, the Hop Pickers Line Heritage Group, Southeastern, and our Medway Valley Line Group members to attend the unveiling.
It was our opportunity to thank them all for their support in delivering this project to celebrate the history of Colonel Stephens’ Hop Pickers Line.
A great way to round off our Railway 200 year.
