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The desire to trade and welcome visitors is inherent in us; Kent is the geographic front door to Europe and the wider world.
Blending old and new
Prentice emphasises Kent’s world-leading industrial production facilities and state-of-the-art office spaces, which make it a prime choice for multinationals and start-ups wanting to escape London’s high prices. But Kent is also proving adept at blending the new with the Larkinesque old. This is typified in a business currently taking shape at the Manor Farm estate in Wateringbury.
William English, CBE, a Kentish businessman and former British Army officer (a ‘tankman’ in the Lancers), returned to Kent after completing his military service career and took over his family’s Grade II-listed estate in September 2019, following the earlier death of his father.
English has ambitious plans for the former hop-growing estate in Wateringbury that his family has farmed since 1906. Industrial-scale brewing of beer in Wateringbury ran from the late 18th century (Warden’s Hill Brewery in 1778) through to the closure of the Phoenix brewery in 1982. English plans to bring brewing back to the village.
Currently studying for a post-graduate diploma and masters’ programme in brewing and distilling, he has
planning permission to develop the estate with a new brewery, brasserie, along with eight hopper huts for tourist accommodation.
William English Manor Farm Estate
He describes the estate as “a very Kentish project”, commenting: “We will create a blend of old buildings and Estate history and new, in brewing and distilling technology, to deliver a sustainable future for our family, Kent and the country.”
He cites the location as ideal for creating a business in brewing/distilling and tourism, with London at the estate’s back and looking outwards to Europe and the world. “The desire to trade and welcome visitors is inherent in us; Kent is the geographic front door to Europe and the wider world,” he said, “We are located on the confluence of the ingredients for brewing and distilling, water, brewing barley and hops.”
As part of English’s sustainable business vision, the estate supports several local charities and he plans to employ locally. The estate has a developed tenancy base; brewing, distilling and associated tourism will be the second line of revenue, under an umbrella of biodiversity, programmed carbon reduction supported by continuous self-funding development and innovation.
“Once we have set up our business platform, we will have the strategic flexibility to adapt and develop further, for example, by bringing new business collaboration into the ‘ecosystem’ of the estate,” he said.
As with the support for business growth being made at a local government level, English’s approach looks to be another template for businesses to thrive and continue strengthening Kent’s SME backbone.
Manor Farm Estate
businessmag.co.uk NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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focus on kent
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