Carlyon Farm China Clay Dry

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868/0/10182 BODMIN ROAD 13-MAR-06 Carlyon Farm China Clay Dry

II China Clay Dry built between 1920 and 1921 by John Lovering under the supervision of W. Mutton junior. The china clay dry at Carlyon Farm survives as a large unroofed stone, block and brick building terraced into a steep west facing slope in the valley formed by the St Austell River. To the west of the building is a levelled terrace which originally supported the railway tracks used to transport the finished clay from the dry. The dry building itself stands on a further two terraces above the original site of the railway. The lower terrace supports the linhay in which the clay was stored prior to removal to the waiting wagons and upon the upper terrace are two separate pan kilns in which the clay was dried. Beyond the pan kilns and separated from them by the eastern wall of the dry are a series of rubble built settling tanks with concrete floors. The dry is essentially two separate kilns connected to each other by a central furnace room which survives as a substantial centrally placed compartment with walls towering above the remainder the dry. This structure is largely open to the west and its walls are mainly rubble with concrete block quoins. The furnace room contains two separate furnaces which were used to heat the pan kiln floors and both retain their original cast iron doors. The chimneys which provide the updraught to draw the hot air under the pan kiln floors are situated at either end of the building and differ considerably in character. The chimney stack at the northern end is square and built with concrete blocks whilst the one at the southern end tapers towards its collared top. The linhays survive on either side of the furnace room and external access is provided by a series of concrete block faced round arched openings which lead directly onto a platform immediately above the railway sidings. Each of these openings lead into block faced rectangular chambers set into the floor of the linhay. The pan kilns survive on the terrace above the linhays and the original air heated floor survives throughout. The openings through the eastern wall of the pan kiln leading from the adjacent settling tanks retain their original sluice gates and other fittings. The Carlyon Farm china clay dry was built between 1920 and 1921 by John Lovering under the supervision of W. Mutton junior using previously unemployed Great War veterans. The kiln was ceremoniously fired for the first time in February 1921 by Miss Ivy Martin a descendant of one of the founders of the china clay industry. The choice of site was heavily influenced by the construction of the new mineral railway through the Trenance valley by the Great Western Railway in 1920. The dry was built adjacent to the new railway line and a large private siding built to connect to the network. The dry remained in constant use until the 1960's when new technological advances forced its closure. In December 1984 the roof over the kiln, furnace and linhay was removed and since this time the site has been neglected and increasingly overgrown with dense vegetation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

494894

Legacy System:

LBS

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