TQ7750 : The Oast, Heath Road, Boughton Monchelsea, Kent
taken 21 years ago, near to Boughton Monchelsea, Kent, England
Twin round kiln oast house. The original roofs and cowls are long gone when it was converted. The kilns have been blended into one and a more conventional roof added. The brick walls have also 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