Bottoms Lane Lime Kiln, Silverdale, Cumbria
N 54° 10.206 W 002° 48.932
30U E 512042 N 6002463
A roadside lime kiln on Bottoms Lane, Silverdale Green. A listed building. One of 36 kilns that used to operate in this area of Limestone. Only 22 remain, and not all in good repair. Restoration of 12 is part of The Limestone Heritage Project, launched in November 2001. Due to end in March 2007.
Waymark Code: WMRTG
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/30/2006
Views: 82
This kiln was for agricultural use, and has been restored (2003). Interpretative sign explains the way this kiln worked and its significance to the landscape and livelihood of the people who worked here. Described as an 'intermittent kiln', relating to the kiln producing one load of lime with each burn.
Railways came around 1850 making transport of lime easier from a bigger producer.
The working conditions for the local men and women who fired the kilns were harsh. The material was corrosive and many suffered chemical burns from handling it. The fumes emitted from the burning process were often overpowering.
Design Features
One feature was the lining of the bowl with sandstone slips or fire-bricks, to stop the limestone of the main body of the kiln reacting with the burn. Unfortunately, most of these bricks have been subsequently removed with the exception of Thrang End Farm kiln, Yealand Redmayne (SD492766). Another important feature is the alignment of the kilns, which takes advantage of the prevailing winds to fan the fire and hasten the burn. Kilns in this area are almost always built on a sloping hillside to ease loading from the top and unloading from the bottom.
Bottoms Farm Kiln has a low arch which is unusual because its horizontal but without a massive lintel. The low extraction hole is also uncharacteristic.
Chronology
It was during the Agrarian revolution that many lime kilns were built, and indeed, this correlates with the majority found in the Silverdale area (built between 1750 and 1850). The enclosure of common grazings provided a big incentive for “improving” the land for the benefit of the owners. The uses of lime are numerous and were not restricted to agriculture alone.
Lime making Method
The manufacture of lime, before the advent of modern production methods, was a time consuming, dangerous and labour intensive process. Sufficient rock (limestone or chalk) and fuel (wood and/or charcoal) would have to be collected and transported, loaded into the kiln and set alight. The broken limestone (calcium carbonate) was burned in the kiln at over 900°C which could take anything up to four days. This heating process drives off carbon dioxide from the limestone and quicklime (calcium oxide) is produced. The purity of the product would be quite variable depending on the completeness of the burning process, the fuel used and the skill of those using the kiln. Quicklime may also be known as burnt lime or lump lime.
In this form the product is extremely volatile and reacts violently with water producing extreme heat. The process of adding water to quicklime is known as slaking and produces hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide). The transport of quicklime was also fraught with dangers, the lime having a tendency to overheat and can be a severe irritant if mixed with water. (from link below)
Links
The Limeburner & the Kiln PDF (
visit link)
The Limestone Heritage Project (
visit link)
Limekilns of the Arnside/Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty PDF download (
visit link)