The Cockney Invasion

Until a few years ago the peace and tranquillity of the Kentish countryside were shattered for six weeks every year by an invasion of thousands of Cockney families who came to harvest the hops. Between the wars it meant more than just a chance of a few weeks in the sun ... ' Life was hard. We used to come away hop-picking to get a few shillings to buy ourselves a pair of shoes and some clothes and all that.' In this film, made at Goudhurst during last year's hopping season, the last of the Londoners, local farmers, and villagers describe what the annual Cockney invasion used to mean to Kent.