Old and rare hop varieties will be preserved for the future thanks to a project by Shepherd Neame.

An acre of land has been set aside at Queen Court Farm, Ospringe, to house part of the National Hop Collection with the help of Dr Peter Darby, the UK's leading hop researcher.

Hop strings are now in place for rare breeds, some dating from the 19th century.

Shepherd Neame's head of production David Holmes said: "We have been cultivating the ground and putting in wire this summer. This is not about commercial hop growing, it is about preserving many varieties bred over the years for their strong natural attributes, such as flavour and character."

Mr Holmes said the hops, which are rarely grown, could be useful for Shepherd Neame beers.

"A lot of these hops would never have a life commercially but many carry characteristics that can be incorporated into modern varieties. We also hope to use some of these rare breeds to create unique flavours in our microbrews."

Britain's collection of historic hops, previously held at Wye College, is now in the care of renowned hop farmer and National Hop Association president Tony Redsell at China Farm, Harbledown. The land at Queen Court Farm provides back-up.