Oast House at Florence Farm

The Oast House at Florence Farm is a Grade II listed building, originally constructed as a stowage by 1881, with the kiln roundel likely added in the 1890s.

The stowage features a brick ground floor built in Sussex bond, while the first floor is clad in weatherboarding and topped with a tiled roof. The kiln, which is attached to the north end of the stowage, is made of brick and has a cement-rendered conical roof.

This rectangular, two-storey structure has three bays and is oriented north to south. The ground floor includes an open-sided cart shed supported by wooden posts, allowing for the easy loading of green hops. The east side of the first floor has two small boarded window openings and a boarded ledged and braced loading door. The south side features a window opening on the upper floor, while the north end is obscured by the kiln. The kiln itself has a ledged and braced wooden door for unloading hops onto the drying floor.

Inside, the ground floor retains cart bays and a weather-boarded partition in the north end bay, likely providing shelter for the 'oastie' who operated the kiln. An open-tread enclosed ladder stair leads to the upper floor, where the hinge for a trap door remains. The upper floor has boarded walls with tally marks and a hatch cover for treading hops. The original rafters and purlins are present, along with later added secondary collars.

The kiln features a brick floor and an arched entrance for loading fuel. A low arch connects the stowage to the kiln, with a ledged and braced door for unloading hops. Mortice holes in the walls indicate where the timbers of the drying floor were positioned, and the roof retains mortice holes for the cross piece that supported the pivot of the cowl.