Traditional Kentish firm DM Holmes was recently employed by Millwood to undertake an unusual job for its Chantry Park development in Canterbury.
The East-Peckham firm is believed to be the last remaining company in the UK to specialise in the design, manufacture and installation of timber oast cowls.
A brand new cowl was made for a Millwood oast house home, with DM Holmes’ Martin Tebb dangling from a crane to put it into position.
The company’s work comes mainly via farmers and landowners who want to convert their oast houses into homes. Work also comes via council conservation officers and architects.
Established in the 1930s, the business has been run for the past 20 years by David Holmes, although he is due to retire and hand over to Chris Turner.
It is a low-tech operation in an old village workshop; the most modern equipment is jigsaws and a circular saw.
For what is essentially a dying trade, business is buoyant, which Mr Holmes contributes to the lack of competition. ‘All the people that used to do it have died,’ he said. ‘There is no competition.’ About 40 jobs were on DM Holmes’ books when TTJ contacted it, comprising about nine new cowls and the rest repair and maintenance.
‘We are at least two months behind our schedule,’ said Mr Holmes, ‘but the customers can’t get anybody else to do them. We could not do any in the winter: we did about two in four months, that’s all. Every time we had a crane the wind blew or the rain came down.’
Notable jobs have included making cowls for the Hop Farm at Beltring, Kent, a tourist attraction, in the wake of the 1987 hurricane. Some of the cowls were 6ft across and more than 14ft high.
Four new cowls were made last year for working oasts on a Canterbury farm.
‘We have a very busy stretch and are looking to recoup some business. But it’s not what you would call all that profitable a business,’ said Mr Holmes.
Pre-treated whitewood timber is sourced from Travis Perkins at nearby Aylesford. Bolac paint is used for protection – one primer coat, two undercoats and two gloss finishes. This has a life span of six to eight years, depending on the elements.
