The 1834 Plan of Cardigan by John Wood shows a bank of 3 lime kilns on the quayside behind the Bridgend Warehouse on the Teifi Wharf. Research by Moore-Colyer suggest these are later 18th-centruy in date, ‘in 1772 one John Owen was granted a 21-year lease of a limekiln behind Mr Parry’s storehouse by Cardigan Bridge’ (1988, 73; 1990, 28).
No kilns are depicted on the 1838 Tithe Map of the Parish of St Dogmell, but all 3 Kilns appear to be depicted and labelled on the 1st edition 25-inch Ordnance Survey Map, published in 1890. They are not shown or labelled on the 2nd edition map of 1906 and were presumably disused by that date.
Part of this kiln bank survives today:
Kiln 1 (east) SN 17739 45765 is the best surviving. Part of the east wall of this stone built square kiln survives at the entrance to the rear of the Bridgend Warehouse. This includes part of the triangular kiln eye, the south half of which is visible in profile. The front half of the lime kiln has been destroyed, the demolition resulting in a section through the crucible, which revealing a stone and brick-built structure cut into the natural rock.
Kilns 2 (centre SN 17726 45768) and 3 (west SN 17713 45771) are largely destroyed. Though the access ramp to the tops of the kilns and part of them may be preserved or incorporated into the retaining wall. What might be a kiln eye for Kiln 3 (which appears to have been a round fronted kiln as depicted on the OS map) might be visible as a triangular feature in the wall. This resembles the kilns as depicted in a drawing of the quayside produced as part of the Cardigan Trail https://www.visitcardigan.com/explore/cardigan-trail/
A second bank containing a further 4 Lime Kilns was located 40 metres to the south (NPRN 800798).
Visited and photographed by RCAHMW on 2 July 2024.
Contextual Information:
Lime kilns are a characteristic feature along the coastlines of west Wales. They are predominantly of 19th century date, although some were built prior to that, and some continued in use into the 20th century. They were used for burning limestone to make lime for use in agriculture and building. The former through spreading on the fields as a fertiliser and to counteract soil acidity, and the latter to make lime mortar. Their coastal position related to the need in many places to import the limestone for burning, and the culm (coal) that was used for fuel. Proximity to the shoreline reduced the need to move the limestone and coal very far after unloading.
Coastal lime kilns are generally round or square in shape and normally slightly wider than they are tall. They have a conical opening in their top, called a crucible, into which the limestone and culm was layered. Openings on either side, called the kiln eyes, connected to the base of the crucible and served for lighting the kiln and to allow air to be drawn into the crucible. After burning, the lime could be raked out via the kiln eyes. The kiln eyes come in many different shapes and sizes, from arched, to flat-topped, to tall and narrow.
Lime kilns were often constructed in pairs, with a small rectangular cottage for the kiln keepers in between them. At smaller landing places only a single kiln might have been built. In nearly all cases some sort of ramp was needed to carry the limestone and coal to a point where it could be added into the crucible from above. Many lime kilns are found built against the valley sides within coves or harbours, allowing the access ramp to be cut from the adjacent bank side, rather than needing to be built.
Louise Barker, RCAHMW, 5 July 2024.
Sources:
Moore-Colyer, R. J., 1988 Of Lime and Men: Aspects of the coastal trade in lime in south west Wales in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Welsh History Review, 1, 54-77.
Moore-Colyer, R. J., 1990 Coastal Limekilns in South West Wales. Folk Life, 28, 19-30.
Heneb: Dyfed HER PRN 30808 https://archwilio.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?watprn=DAT30808&dbname=dat&tbname=core
National Library Wales: John Wood 1834, Plan of Cardigan from an actual survey https://www.library.wales/discover-learn/digital-exhibitions/maps/town-plans/john-woods-welsh-town-plans/cardigan-1834
National Library Wales: 1838 2nd class tithe map of the parish of St Dogmells, Pembrokeshire https://places.library.wales/home
OS 1st Edition 25-inch map (surveyed 1888 published 1890): Pembrokeshire II sheet 12.
OS 2nd Edition 25-inch map (surveyed 1904, published 1906): Pembrokeshire II sheet 12.