Could there be anything more quintessentially Kentish than a traditional oast house?

These picturesque agricultural buildings, with their iconic tapering roofs, were originally used for drying hops before they were sent to the brewery to produce beer. The oldest oast house still in existence is thought to be in Cranbrook, dating from around 1750, but it’s believed that an early form of the oast house was in use from around 1574.

Oast houses aren’t just limited to Kent; they were also built in other parts of the country – in fact, wherever hops were grown. In Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire they were known as ‘hop kilns', and in other parts of the South East, such as Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, they were more commonly known as oasts.

However, it was in Kent that the soil proved to be particularly good for growing hops, and, with plenty of local wood available for the kilns, this led to the distinctive buildings becoming a common sight across the county’s rural landscape.

So why do oast houses have such a characteristic shape? It’s all to do with the drying process. The conical roof is necessary to create a good draught for the fire, while the cowls which sit at the top of the towers create the right airflow.

Due to the industrialisation of hop-picking, combined with a steady rise in the use of imported crops, traditional oast houses fell into disuse and disrepair. Fortunately, many were saved from loss by being converted for other uses. The earliest known example of an oast house being repurposed as a residence goes back to 1903, when Millar’s Farm Oast in Meopham was converted by Sir Philip Waterlow.

More contemporary conversions have benefitted from strict planning regulations to ensure that the characteristic oast house towers are retained or in some cases rebuilt.

Additionally, many oast houses have been converted for commercial and cultural purposes, such as theatres, youth hostels, offices, a museum and even a school.

So if you fancy a piece of England’s rural heritage as your next home, a beautifully converted oast house could well fit the bill.

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