Starting life as three weavers' cottages built circa 1460 The Hoop was converted to an Ale House approximately 450 years ago. There are several possible explanations why the ale house was named "The Hoop", the most common being the hoops used by a cooper in the manufacture of barrels.

Another being the raised hoops that would encircle a quart pot. In bygone times an overflowing tankard was said to be "cock-a-hoop" and the expression has since come to denote merry-making and drinking without stint. A tradition the locals still boast!

The present-day Hoop is notable for its handsome brick fireplaces. The bar is ornamented throughout by the building’s original timber framework, most of which formed part of warships lying in dock at Tilbury.

It was the practice in those days for the beams to be transported from the coast on wagons, after which the drivers would load their vehicles with newly-cut forest timber and take it back to Tilbury.