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Description
Sissinghurst (England), August 2016

Strange gatherings under the stormy sky : these intriguing conical shapes on top of the old tiled roofs are a challenge to the imagination, and they soon conjure up fanciful and somewhat chilling fantasies (a procession of masked penitents ? seven wicked sisters changed into a haunted house ?...). Alas, reality is much less arcane, yet it shines a light on a largely extinct traditional farming process. Located on the estate of Sissinghurst, in Kent, this building is actually an oast house, the purpose of which was to dry hops as part of the brewing process. It is made of several kilns, parts of the structure in which the hops were spread out to be dried by hot air rising from a fire below. The white devices, actually called cowls, are elaborate chimneys, which allowed a continuous flow of air inside the kilns while keeping the weather out. Only when the hops were dry were they sent to the brewery. Raise your next glass of beer in memory of the ancient sorceries of the kilns !

Description
Sissinghurst (England), August 2016

Strange gatherings under the stormy sky : these intriguing conical shapes on top of the old tiled roofs are a challenge to the imagination, and they soon conjure up fanciful and somewhat chilling fantasies (a procession of masked penitents ? seven wicked sisters changed into a haunted house ?...). Alas, reality is much less arcane, yet it shines a light on a largely extinct traditional farming process. Located on the estate of Sissinghurst, in Kent, this building is actually an oast house, the purpose of which was to dry hops as part of the brewing process. It is made of several kilns, parts of the structure in which the hops were spread out to be dried by hot air rising from a fire below. The white devices, actually called cowls, are elaborate chimneys, which allowed a continuous flow of air inside the kilns while keeping the weather out. Only when the hops were dry were they sent to the brewery. Raise your next glass of beer in memory of the ancient sorceries of the kilns !