Oast House In Brenchley

[poliphilo]

Oast houses are peculiar to this part of the world. You find them in Kent and East Sussex and- as far as I'm aware- nowhere else. What they are is kilns for the drying of hops- for use in beer. These days they're uneconomical to run and large numbers of them have been converted to other uses. There's one just up the road from here that's used as a B & B; Ailz and I stayed in it once. Circular rooms- what fun!

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Nice place, Brenchley. Just down the road from us.

Oasts just seem like a normal part of the furniture to me but then I was brought up with them! :o)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a very pretty village- one of many such...

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Brenchley? It's mine, I tell you, mine! (I went there once, and found it very odd just walking down the main street seeing Brenchley Post Office and Brenchley Church and so forth. Actually, I kinda want to retire there, so's people can write to me at "Chaz, Brenchley, Kent." I shall be Brenchley of Brenchley...)

(Also I want to be buried there, because as far as we could see on a cursory inspection there are no Brenchleys in Brenchley Churchyard, which just seems such a shame.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It seems more than likely that your distant ancestors came from the place. I can't think of any other reason for them having that surname.

Pretty, isn't it?

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's established, that the family does indeed hail from there. And was still there or thereabouts in the nineteenth century; my grandfather was born in rural Kent, tho' not actually in Brenchley.

And yes, it's lovely. I liked the original Tudor mansions more than the mock-Tudor flung up between 'em (weird, huh?), but I did kinda feel that I really could live there.