Oast Houses

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❖ What is an Oast House?

An Oast House is a building used to dry fresh hops before they are sent to the brewers, to be used for flavouring beer. Beer was not produced within the oast house itself, but some malthouses (breweries) did incorporate drying kilns for drying barley for malt.

A typical Oast House consisted of the 'oast' and the 'stowage'.

The oast was a kiln, with a plenum chamber fired by charcoal at ground floor and the drying floor directly above. The steep pitched roof channelled the hot air through the hops to the top. A cowl on the top of the roof allowed the hot air ('reek') to be drawn up through the kiln in a vacuum effect. The cowl pivoted to control the air extraction and stop rain getting in.

The stowage, was the barn section, it had a cooling floor and press at first floor and storage area at ground floor. The dried hops were taken from the drying floor to cool and be packed using a hop press. The press packed hops in a large sack called a 'pocket' suspended to the ground floor where the pockets were stored to await collection.

❖ Production

The first form of oast house appeared around the latter part of the 1500's, with the increasing use of hops as a profitable crop. It wasn't until the mid 1700's that hop production took off and the oast house became to be built in greater numbers, and not until the mid 1800's that it was in full production and many of the oast houses that can be seen today originated.

Only a handful of original cowled oast houses are still in use for drying hops. One example is at Scotney Farm, a National Trust owned property (not open to the public) producing hops for 'Scotney Ale'.


Today most hops are dried in modern ridge ventilated buildings.


Many oast houses were demolished after the hop industry decline at the beginning of the 1900s, however there are estimated to be over of 3500 original cowl ventilated Oast Houses left standing in England, dating from the 1740's to the 1930's.

The oldest surviving at Godwin House.


The newest at Clockhouse Farm.

❖ Location

Hops were grown throughout England but there were only a few areas that they were grown in great numbers. Oast Houses were built in the major hop growing regions.

The majority of oast houses are found in the South East in Kent (approx 65%) and Sussex (approx 20%).


A large number are found Herefordshire and Worcestershire (approx 10%)


there are also a small numbers in…

Hampshire (approx 2%)


Surrey


…and Greater London


Hop picking was at its peak in England between 1860 and 1880 when around 70,000 acres of hops were picked each year. Cheap imports from Europe being the main reason for their decline. Nowadays only about 5% of hops are produced compared with the peak years.

See a Geograph Map of Oast Houses.

❖ Kiln Types

There are four main kiln types within the oast house.

The Internal kiln
Originally oast houses were adapted barns, with a kiln built in the centre. Built of timber, many burnt down, or were replaced with purpose built oasts. Mid to late c18. The earliest remaining oast is from about 1740, but there were undoubtedly older incarnations that have since disappeared.


The Square kiln
Fires were common place in the original internal kiln, so the kiln moved outside of the building. They were around 12-14 foot across. Late c18 to early c19.


The Round kiln
The most common; around 65% of oast kilns are round. It was thought that round kilns were more efficient that the square in terms of heat dissipation, and more cost efficient in materials. Early kilns 12-14 foot, later kilns 16-20 foot. Early c19 to 1920's.


By the end of the 19th Century it was found that circular kilns were no more efficient than square kilns. The square kiln was continued, this time in larger 16-20 foot sizes in response to the large demand for hops, and economy of scale. It was down to the preference of the farmer or architect whether they chose a square or round kiln. There are many round-kilned oast houses with additional square kilns added. Large square oasts are particularly prevalent in East Kent as by the latter part of the hop producing years East Kent was a large driving force of the industry, as there were a number of local breweries, and many newer and larger oasts were built here. Mid-late c19 to 1928.


Some purpose built mid c20 oasts also reintroduced cowl ventilated internal kilns, this time using a forced draught system.


The Ridge ventilated kiln. Internal kiln or kilns, this time with a vent running along the top of the roof and mechanical draught. Found on modern oasts c20 to present.


An octagonal kiln can be found in Hawkhurst.


A kiln attached to the oast house at Littlebourne Green was built to fit in with the river.

❖ Malthouses

What is the difference between an Oast House and Malthouse?

As maltings have similar kilns with roof ventilators akin to the oast houses, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if a building was an oast house or maltings. Malthouses were used to dry grain rather than hops, and typically have much larger kiln sizes. The malthouse was part of the brewery and so was significantly larger than a typical oast house. Instead of a rotating cowl they have more mundane square ventilator cap at the top of the kiln roof. Generally speaking those buildings outside of the South East and The West midlands are Maltings or Malthouses.

There are many malthouses within the British Isles, and like oast houses, most that survive have now been converted to dwellings, usually multiple apartment units, or due to their large sizes and relatively flexible open plan layout, are particularly suited to business units.

❖ Materials

Like all vernacular buildings, oast houses were typically constructed from the materials local to them, using local timbers, brick, stone, tile, or slate. There were other determining factors for construction materials, such as the brick tax from 1794 to 1850.

Early adapted barn oasts were simple timber constructions, with weatherboarded walls, and tiled roofs.


A typical oast house was constructed of red brick, usually in a flemish bond, and had a titled roof. Early to mid period oasts would usually have dark stained weatherboard timber framed walls at first floor.


East Kent has a large number of oasts with ragstone walls.


After the government dropped the 'brick tax' in 1850, round kiln roofs were often made of brick and covered with cement and tarred. They were more expensive to construct due to the material and the complexity. However they were less susceptible to catching alight, and in theory needed less maintenance than their timber counterparts.

…it is not always easy to spot them as some have been subsequently covered with tiles.


This photograph shows the construction of a typical timber and tile roundel roof.


Slate roofs appeared on later oasts, particularly in East Kent and Hereford & Worcestershire.

❖ Details

Typical eaves detail. Dentilled brickwork.


Hoist. This was used to lower pockets directly onto the cart, or lorry. Common on later oasts, particularly in East Kent.

❖ Development

As hop and beer production took off, the size of oast houses increased.

Small oast houses


to large oast houses, with up to eight kilns


As the demand for hops increased, kilns were added to increase production. The oast house at Gatehouse Farm originally was built with two round kilns. Later a third a third roundel was added, followed by a fourth square kiln.


The increase in hops meant an increase in storage. An a open slatted platform, called the 'greenstage', was often added to cope with demand. Hops waiting to be dried were stored here, the open slats prevented the hops sweating before drying. The greenstage could be attached to the stowage, or directly to the rear of the kilns, in which case an external first floor door to the kiln needed to be added.


Typically a larger kiln indicates a later built kiln, as their sizes increased with the increase hop production. However, some oast houses were built with two different kiln sizes, so as to use the right size of kiln depending on the hop load to be dried. The variation allowed for a smaller load at the end of the day or during a wet season.

A larger kiln would need more fuel to heat the larger space, so a smaller kiln could be more efficient for a smaller load. Kiln roofs were built of varying heights. Problems could develop from an unsuitable height; a too shorter roof may draw out air too quickly and drying the hops too quickly, and a too taller roof may struggle drawing enough air through the cowl.


During the 20th Century, oil and electricity was introduced to the oast houses, and many were adapted to suit the technology. The wood/charcoal fired kilns were changed to oil, and controlled louvred and fan driven draught systems were added to the roofs. Flues were fitted to control the fumes.


The Watson ventilator, designed in the 1960's. This replaced the whole kiln roof and cowl, with a wooden mechanically draughted ventilated louvred roof. It was considered unsightly by comparison, and most have since been removed during conversion, which is why few remain. Their scarcity makes it more important that those that remain are not removed.


Once an oast house had finished its life of hop-drying, the kiln roofs were often removed and replaced with a more conventional flat of pitched roof.

Nowadays, oast houses have become desirable residences and many owners want an authentic looking oast, so many of those roofs are being reinstated back to their original tall roofs with cowls.

❖ Cowls

The cowl was fitted to the top of the kiln roof. It pivoted with the wind to allow the hot air from the fired kiln below to be drawn through the hops and out through the top.

A Kentish cowl


A Sussex Oast cowl can be distinguished by its 'blinkers'. The flat side panels at the front of the cowl. Some Kent Oasts near the county border have them too, and likewise Sussex oasts often have Kentish Cowls.


Hereford & Worcester cowls did not have a cap, but a pointed top.


Traditional cowls are made of wood and painted white, they came in different sizes, but a typical example stood about 2.5m high and 1.2m wide at its base.

Many wooden cowls have now been replaced with lighter and supposedly easier to maintain fibre-glass ones. However their longevity is not fully proven. It has been said that they cannot be easily repaired or maintained, and deteriorate at a much faster rate.

Cowls are notorious for being blown off during strong winds, so it is essential they are well maintained and are always able to move with the wind. Many were knocked off during the hurricane of September 1987.

During the Second World War, some oast house cowls had to be painted black so as not to attract the attention of the enemy. The lady of the estate of Chart Court Oast at Little Chart, decided to have hers painted red and green.


It was common for the cowl to be replaced with a cap once the Oast House was disused for hop drying, or if it was blown off during strong winds and no longer in use.


The vane of the cowl is often decorated with an icon. Traditionally the farmer would adorn an icon of his trade, hop picking after all was only for 4 weeks of the year, so most farms would have other sources of income. Typically these were an animal, or farm or countryside related theme, these include horses, cockerels, dogs, cats, acorns, cat chasing mouse (two cowls), huntsman and pheasants, ducks, swans, sheep, cows, an oast house, deer and stags, fish, and tractors…

Nowadays many home owners replace or add an icon that reflects their own interests, some examples including a sailboat, badgers, a train, rabbits, a bugle, squirrels, witch on broomstick, theatrical faces, a helicopter, a dragon, and a teddy bear.


By far the most common is the 'Invicta' prancing horse, the symbol of Kent.


Tatlingbury Oast in Five Oak Green shows a hunting scene of a horse and hounds.


The vanes also come in various shapes.


In the 20th Century, electric fans were introduced to push the air through the hops and cowls were no longer needed. Louvred ventilators were placed on the roofs instead.


Much like the oast houses they once adorned, some cowls are converted to living accommodation, in the form of a dove cotes!

❖ Inside the oast house

The plenum chamber. On the lower floor of the kiln was the fire. Initially these were wood fired, later to be fired by charcoal or coal, and then oil.


In this kiln at the Beltring Hop Farm, a coal fired set up with a central brick arch with a fire either side. The man looking after the kiln was called the 'oastie'. He would stay in the oast house 24 hours a day to maintain the hops.


The Drying floor directly above the plenum chamber. Hops were spread out about 3-4ft deep on a wooden slatted floor, a horse hair sheet was laid on top of this to stop the hops falling down to the fire and setting alight. The steep pitched roof channelled the hot air through the hops to the top. A cowl on the top of the roof allowed the hot air ('reek') to be drawn up through the kiln in a vacuum effect. The cowl pivoted to control the air extraction and stop rain getting in. The hops took around 8-10 hours (but up to 16 hours) to dry at 120-130ºF (around 50°C).


The cooling floor After the hops had dried they were taken out to the cooling floor at first floor, once cooled they were then packed with the hop press.


The hop press was situated on the upper floor and used to ram the cooled hops into a large sack called a 'pocket', suspended to the ground floor. Before the hop press was invented in the 1850s the hops would have been trodden in manually by foot.


The hop pocket, a 6-7 foot sack made of hessian or canvas, was filled with hops using the hop press. A filled pocket weighed around 75kg.

❖ Hops and Hop picking

Hop fields
Also called hop gardens, the growing areas of the South East and Hereford and Worcestershire were awash with hop fields during the heyday of hop picking.

Traditional hop bines stand 16 feet high, growing up hessian strings tied to a wire strung between wood poles. Before the strung system each hop bine was grown up a wooden pole.
Shorter bines are now grown in the Herefordshire area so that modern farm machinery can pick them. 70% of the hops grown in Kent were of the 'Fuggles' variety.


It is said that if the hop bines have reach the top of the string by the summer solstice (21st June), it should be a good harvest. The following images show hop growth during April, May and June.


Originally hops were picked by hand, each hop flower was taken off the bine and put into a 'bin', as re-created in the photograph below.


This dramatically changed with the introduction of hop picking machines, such as the 'Bruff' which did the work of ten's or hundred's of people.
The most dramatic change was after the war, however the last field to be picked by hand was in 1987.

There are now only around 60 growers in England, compared to the thousands that existed in the late 19th century. Hop growing is around 5% compared to the peak times, and most hop fields have been grubbed up for other farm uses.

Hop trailers
A more modern invention since the introduction of the tractor to the hop field and the mechanisation of the farm. The hop bines were piled on the back of the trailer to be taken back at the farm for processing. They are still used today.


Hopper huts
During the hop picking season in September, thousands of Londoner's came down to Kent and Sussex for the hop picking, for many it was a working holiday. Many stayed in tents but some farms provided 'Hoppers Huts'. They were primitive buildings, usually built of corrugated metal or brick. Due to their small size, their potential for reuse or conversion is very limited, and those that remain are often in poor condition, particularly if they are located away from the farm.

❖ Converted oast houses, and modern uses

Over 85% of oast houses have now been converted to dwellings, usually houses, but sometimes flats.


…lots of which are also B&B's and holidays lets.


One of the first known conversions was at Millar's Farm near Meopham in 1903.


Other oast houses have been converted to…

Farm shops


Offices


Theatres


Community centres


Visitors centres


Gift shops


Schools


Health centres


Youth hostels


Student Accommodation


Cafés, tea rooms, pubs and restaurants


a Christian Retreat


…even a Kebab shop!


An increasingly small proportion of disused oast houses are left unconverted.

or in ruins

See a Geograph Map of unconverted oast house.

There are a number of publicly visitable oast house museums.

❖ Preservation

Over 500 Oast Houses are Listed buildings.


Yonsea Farm was saved from the path of the Channel Tunnel railway link near Hothfield, and completely moved to the Rare Breeds Centre.


The tiles and timbers of an oast house at the Bewl Water Reservoir site were taken to Montreal, Canada, where an oast house was reconstructed.

This unlisted oast house at Wincheap, Canterbury, is currently under threat of demolition.


Lack of maintenance is common on disused buildings, as demonstrated by this collapsed kiln roof near Brenchley.


Many traditional materials and features are changed during the conversion period, such as large domestic windows, chimney stacks, porches, white painted weatherboard (rather than black stain), tile hung walls, and painted walls.


It is important that oast houses are converted sensitively to maintain their character and avoid unattractive additions…


Other modifications;

Some unusual windows


Cowl replacements

❖ Archive

Unlike castles, windmills, pillboxes and other distinct buildings, there are no other public lists or photo-archives of oast houses.
With over 2000 separate oast houses photographed, Geograph has the largest public online photographic record of oast houses.

❖ Popular Oast Houses

These are some of the most photographed oast houses on Geograph and the rest of the internet…


…and most featured on postcards and calenders

❖ Fake Oast Houses

For one reason or another some 'fake' or 'mock' oasts have been allowed to be built. Most are easily spotted as they are out of proportion to a normal oast house, built at a much larger scale than the originals. Many of these appear to have been built around the 1980's when planning laws were more relaxed, though there are some recent examples. Most are in areas were the local area has little or no architectural merit. A mock oast is currently for sale and under construction at Kings Hill.

❖ Village signs

Many village signs in hop growing areas adorn an oast house.

❖ As seen on TV

Darling Buds of May (1991-1993).

❖ Trivia

Other facts not mentioned elsewhere.

The most common name is "Manor Farm Oast".

An oast house was only used for drying for a month of the year. The rest of the year it would be used as a store for other farm produce, for animal feed, farm implements or whatever else the farmer might need to store.

In 2004, as an alternate way to sell an oast house at Chilham, it was put up as a raffle prize.


In 2007, the Daily Mail newspaper gave away an oast house, valued at £400,000, in a competition.

❖ Further reading

Books
"Kentish Oasts" by R. and I. Walton
"Oasthouses in Sussex and Kent" by Gwen Jones and John Bell
"Beltring Hop Farm" by Robin Walton
"The Oasthouses, Their Life & Times" by Alan Major

Webpages
Wikipedia
Images Of England
Geograph: The Hop Farm
Geograph: Oast House category
Geograph: Hopper Huts category
Geograph: Hops & Hop Fields category
Geograph: Maltings category

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