Margaret's Hope Tea Estate is a
tea garden
A tea garden is an outdoor space where tea and light refreshments are served, or any garden with which the drinking of tea is associated. Especially in India, it is also a common term for a tea plantation. The tea garden was a part of early Eng ...
in the
Kurseong
Kurseong (, ) is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision.
Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throu ...
CD block in the
Kurseong subdivision of the
Darjeeling district in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
.
Etymology
Margaret, daughter of the owner Cruickshank (alternately Bagdon, according to others) came from England for a visit. She liked the surrounding picturesque settings so much that she promised to come back to the place again. While returning to England, she died on the ship. Her father changed the name of the estate from Ringstrong to Margaret's Hope.
History
Although the tea estate was set up in the 1830s, it became commercially viable in 1864. It was then known as Bara Ringtong. It was named Margaret's Hope Tea Estate in the 1920s. The present factory was built by John Taylor in 1930. The tea estate is now owned by the
Goodricke Group.
Geography
Location
Margaret's Hope is in the Northern Valley of Kurseong, very close to the Longview Highlands. The area is popularly referred to as the Land of White Orchids.
The estate is spread over an area of . The height varies from .
Two rivers flow through the estate and a romantic view of the Himalayas forms the backdrop. One can enjoy a view of the panorama from the Tea Deck.
Economy
Darjeeling tea
Darjeeling tea is a tea made from ''Camellia sinensis var. sinensis'' that is grown and processed in Darjeeling district or Kalimpong district in West Bengal, India. Since 2004, the term ''Darjeeling tea'' has been a registered geographical in ...
from the China tea bushes growing in the misty environment at heights ranging from has a loyal clientele globally.
The Goodricke Group
The Goodricke Group owns five tea estates in Darjeeling:
Thurbo,
Badamtam, Barnesbeg,
Castleton and Margaret's Hope.
Historic labour movement
Margaret's Hope is considered to be the birthplace of organised labour movement in West Bengal's tea industry. In 1955, a strike, called by
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...
and
Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, was underway. On 25 June, hundreds of workers had gathered at Margaret's Hope Tea Estate, to register their protest against low wages and denial of facilities by tea garden managements. Six protesters, including two women, were killed in police firing. The furore spilled over and the next day 20,000 workers and common people laid siege of the district headquarters. By 27 June, the management met all the demands of the workers. To take just one example, for the first-time tea garden workers were paid bonus. Although there was provision for payment of bonus under the Bonus Act, till then no tea garden had implemented it. Wages were also raised.
References
External links
*
{{Darjeeling District
Tea estates in Darjeeling district