TQ7734 : Swattenden Oast, Swattenden Lane, Cranbrook, Kent
taken 18 years ago, near to Hartley, Kent, England
Single kiln oast house. Possibly a round kiln oast originally with the roundel and roof replaced with a square extension and conventional roof.
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