TQ6842 : Unconverted Oast House at The Knowle, Knowle Road, Brenchley, Kent
taken 15 years ago, near to Brenchley, Kent, England
Twin round kiln oast house. The kilns have been blended into one and the roofs are missing. The walls also appear to have been rendered.
An Oast House is a building used to dry fresh hops before they are sent to the brewers, to be used for flavouring beer. A traditional Oast House consists 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. The stowage, was the barn section, it had a cooling floor and press at first floor and storage area at ground floor. Read more Link