 If you drive through
Brook you cannot miss the Agricultural Museum.
The imposing 14th century barn which
houses the larger items in the collection lies
next to the church. Behind the barn you can see
the 19th century oast house where the
rest of the collection is kept.The barn, which
is a fine example of mediaeval architecture, is
about 37 metres long by 9 metres wide and is
constructed of English Oak under a Kent peg tile
roof. Inside there is a collection of
agricultural equipment from the days when the
horse was the power around the farm. There is a
fine collection of Kent turnwrest ploughs, which
is part of the county’s heritage, together
with wagons, carts, reapers, threshers and other
items connected with horses and dairy work. Click
on the picture to view a high-resolution version.
The oast house has changed little from when it
was built. It has an inner circle which meant
that there could be four furnaces drying the
hops. On the lower floor there are items
connected with hop production and on the second
floor the original hop press remains. There is
also a large and varied collection of smaller
items such as mouse and man traps, eel spears and
shepherds’ crooks.
In total there are over one thousand items in
the collection. The museum is run by a charitable
trust and entrance is free for children, £1.50
for adults, except for organised visits. It is
open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from
2pm to 5pm between May and September, or at other
times by arrangement with the honorary curator.
Honorary curator - tel: 01304 824969
Photography by Trevor Owen
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