Summary
Lime kiln 255m north west of Langton Cross.
Reasons for Designation
The lime industry is defined as the processes of preparing and producing lime by burning and slaking. The basic raw material for producing lime is limestone or chalk: when burnt at high temperature (roasted or calcined), these rocks release carbon dioxide, leaving `quicklime' which, by chemical reaction when mixed with water (`slaking'), can be turned into a stable powder - lime. Lime burning sites varied in scale from individual small lime kilns adjacent to a quarry, to large-scale works designed to operate commercially for an extended market and often associated with long distance water or rail transport. Lime burning as an industry displays well-developed regional characteristics, borne out by the regional styles of East Anglia, West Gloucestershire or Derbyshire. The form of kilns used for lime burning evolved throughout the history of the industry, from small intermittent clamp and flare kilns, to large continuously fired draw kilns that could satisfy increased demand from urban development, industrial growth and agricultural improvement. Small-scale rural lime production continued in the later 19th and 20th centuries, but this period of the industry is mainly characterised by large-scale production and the transfer of technologies from the cement and other industries. The demand for mortars grew steadily during the 19th and 20th centuries. The successful production of mortars made with artificial cement represented an economic challenge to lime production and gradually replaced the use of lime mortars in major construction and engineering projects.
The lime kiln 255m north west of Langton Cross survives well and retains many original and unusual features it will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, chemical characteristics of the lime produced, social and economic significance, agricultural and industrial trade, abandonment and overall landscape context.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 February 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.
This monument includes a lime kiln situated on the north facing slopes of a dry valley to the east of the settlement of Langton Herring. The 19th century lime kiln survives as a standing stone built structure of rectangular plan complete with an unusual barrel vaulted entrance tunnel set into a hillside to the south presumably for additional draw. It also retains original features like the draw-eye, a poking hole, charging ramp and the circular pot of approximately 6m in diameter which in turn is surrounded by a 2m high retaining wall.
