Hopehill
Campsite
About
Hopehill
Get to Know Us
Hopehill Camping and Training Ground is owned and run by Gravesham District Scouts. For use by Scouts, Guides, schools and other youth groups.
Located in Meopham 1/2 a mile outside the Kent Downs AONB and 2 miles walking distance of the North Downs Way. Covering an area of 25 acres our campsite can cater for a wide variety of activities and events.
History
19th Century
OS Six Inch ,1830s-1880s (county layers)
The name Hopehill extends before the Scouting movement even became into being, possibly even before Robert Baden-Powell was born. Appearing on a OS six inch map from the mid 19th century ‘Hopehill Wood’ hasn't changed its general appearance in at least 175 years.
Late 19th Early 20th Century
OS 25 Inch ,1892-1914
Sometime between 1892 and 1914 a quarry appeared in the woods beneath the letter ‘p’. Nowadays the quarry houses our campfire circle.
​
Hopehill Wood was a working woodland providing lumber for a variety of purposes through the act of coppicing. This is a traditional practice of managing woodland still in use to this day although not presently at Hopehill. The act of coppicing is to fell a single stem tree in the first instance and allowing multiple new shoots to take life. This replaces the old trunk allowing the tree to survive rather than rotting from the inside out. This can be done many times. You can see some of this practice in the woods to this day albeit long past needing a fell.
1950
Unknown date. Barnes Hut in the background.
Purchased by Gravesend & District Boy Scouts Association on March 1st 1950 for 22 pounds & 16 shillings (circa £650 in 2024) from Ivy House Farm. Thanks to the will legacy of Mr Walter Matthews donating £2,008 (circa £86,000 in 2024) the land was acquired. This is the property to the right of Hopehill as you enter the main gate. On Saturday 8th July 1950 ‘Hopehill Camping & Training Ground’ to give the site its official name was opened. Opening with 15.5 acres worth of land comprising 12 acres of meadow and 3.5 acres of woodland.
With the additional support from Mr. A. E. Barnes Hopehill gained its first building in the form of the Barnes Hut named in his honour.
OS 1:1,25,000, 1937-1961
Green outline shows the extent of the boundary. Orange line running East to West was the entrance to the site from the main Wrotham Road A227. This was a path that ran down the right hand side of the present outer carpark as you look into the site from the main road. Red circle is the Barnes Hut.
Souvenir Programme of the Opening of Hopehill Camping & Training Ground
A Souvenir Programme from the opening day shows what the plan for the future was back then. There is virtually nothing of that original plan still in place. Either having moved or in the case of the swimming pool never got any further.
As mentioned above access to the site from the A227 was down a path. A pole that is still in situ (2024) in the neighbours field marked the entrance point. A lamp would be hoisted up the pole to signify the entrance to the site. If you head down to the front gate behind the sign you can see it.
Hopehill Camping Training Ground
1961
At the end of the path a pair of gates were installed to commemorate Skipper Bennet who was honorary camp warden for many years.
18.6.61 Roland House
1963
The Lions Club of Gravesend raised £500 (circa £13,000 in 2024) for purchase of a prefabricated building. This would be built to the rear of the Barnes Hut and be known as the Lions Hut.
As can be seen in the map of the opening souvenir programme the chapel was originally going to be situated in the woods in place of the quarry. The Chael where it is situated today was opened in 1963. The chapel gates were very much of a different design.
Original chapel gates. The Fleur-De-Lis is now present on the side of the service crew buildings
Again the below map shows the green outline, Red circle is now the combined Barnes and Lions hut. The Blue circle is what was the original Quartermaster stores and toilets. 2024 these are Explorer stores and Network HQ. Some toilet fixtures are still identifiable and the cess pit is still in place to the left of the current rifle range. Orange line is still the entrance pathway. Yellow circle is position of repositioned chapel.
OS 1:1,250/1:2,500, 1944-1973 MARK ON NEW POSITION OF CHAPEL
Ariel image from 1960’s
Unknown Dates
-
Est 1970’s - At some point following the increase in use of vehicles the Skipper Bennet gates were deemed no longer useful as the entrance to Hopehill and put into storage. Suspect that the land that is now the outer car park was acquired around the same time
-
Rest of Hopehill Wood acquired.
-
Est 1980’s - Impessa is our warden's quarters. Purchased from Gravesham Borough Council two prefab buildings were purchased. These were emergency accommodation after world war two and designed to be a temporary structure. From the two prefabs the better surviving parts were combined to make one building. Impessa was a nickname given to Robert Baden-Powell and once translated into English means ‘The wolf that never sleeps’
1979
1979 Campfire Circle moves to current location
1987
In 1987 following the death and extremely grateful donation the Clifford Allen Building (Main building) and the Madeline Allension Block (toilet block in centre of the site) were built. To keep some history alive the wings of the CAB were named Barnes and Lions Huts. (top tip the ladies toilets is at the Lions wing end and the boys is at the Barnes wing end)
Construction is well underway.
Official Opening
On 15th October 1987 the Great Storm arrived. Famously Micheal Fish, a TV weather forecaster, said
‘Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!’.
Although technically not a hurricane the storm delivered hurricane strength winds. This up rooted many trees in the woods. The trees that fell on the flat area of the woods were easy to remove. The ones on the hill still lay in testament to that night. Now with over 35 years passed the fallen trees are still growing albeit at a very strange angle in places fighting for the light.
Ariel image showing damage of woods early 1990’s
Damage of woods at the campfire circle late 80’s
Another casualty of the storm was the original chapel gates. The Skipper bennet gates that used to be the entrance to the campsite had been placed in storage and were reconditioned for use as chapel gates.
80’s Hutch built
1991
the Climbing tower arrives.
Climbing Tower Arrives
Early 90’s Bennet way was planted
2000
Taken sometime around 2000 is the Millennium carin with members of the then service crew. As author of this history this photo contains two people that had a great influence on me at Hopehill. My Grandad Jim Treadwell who took me out to site over the summer holidays (standing up) and Tom Young who taught me so much (sitting on the tractor). Other members are Gordon Carter left and Stan Kemp right.
Taken sometime around 2000 is the Millennium carin with members of the then service crew.
Early 00’s the field that we imaginatively called ‘5 Acre’ was bought.
Rifle range built
First archery range
Mid 00’s Planting of Glades
Starsky built 2003-2007
%201_25%2C000%20circa%202003.png)
OS (Online) 1:25,000 circa 2003
Red outline is the external site boundary. The orange path has been removed and the outercar park has been incorporated. Green circle is the Clifford Allen Building and the yellow circle is the madele Alen Building. Interesting to note that this map has history to it as well. The path running diagonally through the woods doesn't follow 100%. When viewed with a previous map you can see the old line it takes. Some of this footpath still exists. If you stand where the star is in the woods looking north east with the footpath heading south to your back you'll be able to work out the line of trees that marked the route. The path on the Southeastern edge of the woods stays within the woods.
2007
Saw the Centenary of Scouting in the UK. As a mark of the occasion the centenary wood was planted. This section is the young woodland at the north end of 5 Acre
2007 Planting of Centenary Woods (Unknown, Unknown, Carl May, Adam May)
2011
Late 2011 archery range moved to short live playground area
Late 2011 archery range moved to short live playground area
2013
New Starsky and Hutch
2018
New Rifle range and archery
2024
Tomahawks arrive
Following the increase in tomahawks (axe throwing) and utilising an area previously used by a second temporary archery range.
Tomahawk Range
Future
Who knows what the future has in store for the site with various ideas over the years being discussed to increase the sites appeal and the need for ongoing maintenance. The site however would not be where it is today without the financial generosity of the few and the countless unpaid man hours of the many. I’m sure all that have contributed to Hopehill over the years can say they have lived by the quote below……
‘Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best’
Robert Baden-Powell
All map screenshots are taken from the National Library of Scotland website. Scales and maps used are credited below each map. https://maps.nls.uk/
Special thanks to Paul Baylis spending many hours sorting through documents and boxes of photographs to make this task a lot easier.
Hopehill Gallery
