Restoration of Historic Lime Kilns
| Some 36 long abandoned lime kilns are spread throughout the Arnside/Silverdale AONB. They, more than any other heritage features remaining today in the area tell us something of the interdependence in former times between the activities of woodland management, agriculture and construction in the patterns of peoples lives. Lime making was one of the earliest "industrial" activities. The lime kilns were constructed largely in the period 1750 to 1850 to burn limestone in order to make lime for local use: to spread on the fields as a soil improver, to make mortar for construction and for many other uses. Locally sourced wood fuel was plentiful for the production of charcoal, used as fuel in the kilns for the burning of limestone. |
Looking into the dark hearth of a lime kiln |
To download a report on The
Limekilns of the AONB(25 pages
- 1,025kB pdf format) click on the link.
Locally, lime burning had all but died out by the turn of the 20th Century and the kilns were abandoned. Many kilns fell into ruin or were "lost" under encroaching vegetation. Detailed historic research and field survey has uncovered these kilns. The Limestone Heriatge Project will restore 19 of the kilns to again be important features in the landscape and physical testaments to the importance of limestone to the heritage of the area.
The AONB Management service commissioned a research project to identify those kilns that were suitable for restoration and estimate the costs of works required. The report of that research formed the basis of the Limekilns Programme bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
