Montgomery Canal Built Heritage Report, Appendix 2 (193KB PDF)
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MONTGOMERYSHIRE CANAL BUILT HERITAGE ASSESSMENT APPENDIX 2: LIMEKILNS The importance of the lime industry to the Montgomeryshire Canal cannot be overestimated. Carrying limestone, and the coal to burn it, was the canal’s raison d’etre. Limekilns are a major feature of the canal’s built heritage. It was wholly impractical to carry quicklime by water. Limestone, though, could be carried with complete safety. The resulting pattern of industry was Pant limekilns kilns built on the waterside, with lime distributed from them by road. Until the 1890s, the physical size of kilns in the canal corridor was limited by site features and technology. The result was a large number of small to medium sized kilns – Hughes identified 98 – distributed along the canal. The majority, 58, were on the eastern branch. Contrary to what was argued when the canal was being built, it was the richer farmlands bordering the eastern branch that used most of the lime, not the poorer areas being reclaimed to the west. The 34 kilns on the western branch were Garthmyl middle limekiln particularly concentrated at Newtown and to a lesser extent at Garthmyl. Not all these kilns were in production at once. Many on the eastern branch, including Belan 1 and 2, 7 and 8 existed before the first peak of production in 1814, before the western branch was opened. Almost all (92) were in existence by the all-time peak of production in c1840, including Belan 3 and 4.Production declined after this, and kiln sites fell into disuse. The limekilns are of interest in themselves, and in relation to the canal. Belan limekilns 5-8 One notable feature is that even in the 1 1790s, as exemplified by Belan kilns 5 and 6, they were permanent, intended to remain productive for many years, in contrast to common kilns intended for a single use. This implies an industrial scale of activity, intrinsic to the canal’s existence. Because of their sturdy construction, many of the kilns survive and are easily recognizable. They are a major feature of Buttington 2 the canal’s heritage of industrial archaeology. As at Buttington and Garthmyl, many are built into the downhill side of the canal embankment, so they are literally part of its history. Many of the kilns themselves are technically interesting because of their construction. As far as the canal’s heritage is concerned, a key part of their importance is that they are often grouped with other notable canal features. This is exemplified at Belan, Garthmyl, Brithdir and Llanymynech. This is why these Llanymynech sites have been recommended as possible conservation areas. This account is taken mainly from Hughes, S: The Archaeology of the Montgomeryshire Canal 2.