Christian Retreat House, Kent — A Hundred Years of Welcome
This Christian retreat house, Kent, is a genuinely unusual property: two connected 400-year-old houses in Five Oak Green, set among the hop gardens near Tonbridge, with nineteen beds, two kitchens, and its own small chapel. It’s hired out whole, by the weekend, midweek, or as a day conference venue, rather than booked as a normal single-family holiday let, making it a natural fit for church house parties and small group retreats. The main house started life as a row of farm cottages before becoming the village beer house, The Rose and Crown, from 1850 to 1910.
The building’s own history explains the chapel. From 1910, it served as a temporary hospital for hop-pickers, set up by the Reverend Richard Wilson, Vicar of St Augustine’s, Stepney, and it kept treating patients right up until its last hospital register entry in 1953. This wasn’t unusual work for a Kentish vicar of the time: church missions across the county ran similar hospitals for pickers who suffered real occupational ailments and, in an era before the NHS, usually couldn’t afford a doctor at all.
By the early twentieth century, as many as a quarter of a million Londoners made the same trip every autumn, mostly women and children, with special “hopper” trains laid on from London Bridge station straight into the Kent countryside. Whole families returned to the same farms year after year, some for generations, treating three or four weeks of hard, piece-rate picking as a genuine working holiday: fresh air and freedom from the city, however exhausting the days in the fields actually were. The tradition only ended in the 1960s, once mechanical harvesters made hand-picking unnecessary.
A few miles away, Tudeley holds one of the more remarkable small churches in England. All Saints’ is the only church in the world with every one of its windows, all twelve, designed by Marc Chagall. The east window was commissioned after the D’Avigdor-Goldsmid family’s 21-year-old daughter Sarah drowned in a sailing accident in 1963, and when Chagall arrived for its dedication he was reportedly so moved that he exclaimed, “C’est magnifique! Je les ferai tous!”, offering to design the rest of the church himself. It took until the year of his own death, 1985, to finish the final windows.
St Thomas à Becket church at Capel, also already mentioned above, is a Grade I listed Norman church with thirteenth-century wall paintings, uncovered under later whitewash during restoration in 1927 and depicting scenes including Cain and Abel and Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. The village itself takes its name from the church, originally just a chapel of ease for Tudeley parish, and stood on the old pilgrim route from Chichester to Becket’s shrine at Canterbury. The huge yew tree in the churchyard, said to be the spot where Becket himself once preached, predates the church by centuries.
The wider South and South East region is worth browsing for anyone planning a longer trip, and the Tudeley church website has more on the Chagall windows and how to arrange a visit. Between its own charitable history and the remarkable churches close by, Hoppers is a place with genuinely deep Kentish roots, and a fitting spot for a group retreat that wants more than just somewhere to sleep.
Perfect for:
- Church groups and committees needing whole-building hire for a weekend away
- Anyone drawn to Tudeley’s Chagall windows or Capel’s medieval wall paintings
- Large families or friendship groups, with nineteen beds across two houses
- Day conference bookings, with a dedicated midweek day rate available
- Groups happy with simple, characterful surroundings over modern polish
- Anyone curious about the building’s own century of quiet Christian service
Location
The main building is 400 years old, standing in the village of Five Oak Green near Tonbridge, and set among the hop gardens of Kent. Originally a row of farm cottages and from 1850 to 1910, it was The Rose and Crown Beer House.
In 1910 the building was acquired by Rev’d Richard Wilson, Vicar of St Augustine’s Stepney, to be a temporary hospital for hoppers during the picking season. The last entry in the hospital register was in 1953.
How to get there:
By Road the post code for navigation is TN12 6RL. Six cars can be parked in the front courtyard (NB parking guidance on website). Parking for a minibus is available in the nearby recreation ground car park.
By Rail The nearest stations are Tonbridge and Paddock Wood: direct trains run from London Charing Cross and London Bridge.
Local Area
Five Oak Green has a small village shop and post office which is 2 minutes’ walk from Hoppers, the village also has an excellent recreation ground with play equipment for children.
Paddock Wood is 10 minutes’ drive and Tonbridge 15 minutes, both these small towns have comprehensive shopping opportunities. Major Supermarkets offer an online delivery service. There is also a local bus service.
Details of local church services can be found in the parish magazine, a copy is always available at Hoppers and Hoppers has its own small chapel.
Nearby: Tonbridge Castle, Bewl Water, Leeds Castle, Hever Castle, The Hop Farm at Beltring, the villages of Brenchley and Hadlow. Chartwell near Westerham (home of Sir Winston Churchill). Tudeley Parish Church has stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. St Thomas Becket Capel has twelfth century wall paintings, with a yew tree under which Thomas a Becket preached. Both Tudeley and Capel can be reached by public footpaths. A map showing public footpaths and local pubs is available.
Facilities
Hoppers consists of two houses connected by adjoining back doors. The old main house has thirteen beds. The more recently built cottage has six beds. There are two equipped kitchens with a dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer and large fridge and freezer. There are two lounge areas plus a small chapel. Our website shows the layout.
The front courtyard is accessed off Five Oak Green Road, the rear courtyard and lawn area are a secure and private area. There is no land line at Hoppers, and mobile phone reception is patchy. WiFi is available with a guest login.
The old house is largely made of wood with seriously low beamed ceilings, and access to bedrooms on the upper floor is best undertaken by the nimble. Smoking is not permitted in any of the buildings, a designated smoking area is in the rear courtyard.
A BBQ and outside table tennis table are available.
Our caretaker Susannah lives 10 minutes walk away and is very helpful.
A Visitors Book to sign and leave comments helps to keep Hoppers’ story alive.
Additional Photos
Click to enlarge
Costs and Availability
Weekend hire: Arrive from 3pm Friday, depart by 3pm Sunday £900
Midweek hire: Monday – Thursday £290 per night (Arrive from 3pm, depart by 10am)
Midweek Day Conference hire: Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm £170 per day
Linen available at an additional cost: £10 per person.
Separate charges apply for Christmas and New Year
A charitable concession is available on request.
A £100 deposit is required within three days of making a reservation (non-returnable in the event of cancellation). The balance should be sent by bank transfer no later than four weeks prior to the start of the visit. Payments made via bank transfer.
Payments made via bank transfer.
Available all year round.
Pets and towels and bedding: Can be negotiated via hoppersbookings@gmail.com
Contact
If you are interested in making a booking, or you would like further information, please get in touch using the following details:
For Information: email: hoppersbookings@gmail.com
Bookings are made via the website hopperskent.org/hire/hire-charges/