A circular lime kiln is located on the southern side of the access road to Sandy Haven quay, 150m from the high-water mark. It is marked as Limekiln on the 1st Edition of the OS 25” map. The lime kiln is built against a retaining wall, itself built against the southern side of the valley. Its has been restored and is exceptionally intact; the crucible is largely free of infill, the kiln-eyes, hearths, and air-vents are all preserved. In addition, the kiln-keepers hut lies a short distance up the slop to the south and a weighbridge is adjacent to the kiln on the eastern side.
The lime kiln is c.5m in diameter from west to east, and 6m north to south. Kiln-eyes forming a tall, rough arch with a slate lintel are located on the western and eastern sides, and the kiln is 3.4m in height at the kiln-eyes. At the top of the kiln, the walls are c. 1.1m thick on the west and east sides. The north wall is thicker via a buttress that runs from the north-west to the north-east and is c.2m thick at its top, projecting 0.75m from the main kiln wall at its ends, which are 0.4m from the edge of the kiln-eyes. The crucible is free of in-fill to a depth of 2m, which corresponds to the air-vents in the upper-back parts of the kiln-eyes. The western kiln-eye is 2.4m wide at its entrance at ground-level, 2.1m deep and narrows to 0.85m wide along its rear face. The lintel is 2.7m above ground and is c.1m wide. A rectangular air-vent, 300mm wide by 250mm in height, opens into the crucible. A decorative pattern of wave-like arcs has been described in the concrete edging to the floor of the kiln-eye during restoration work. The eastern kiln-eye is 2.3m wide at its entrance at ground-level, 1.8m deep and narrows to 0.85m wide along its rear face. The lintel is 2.4m above ground and is c.1m wide. A rectangular air-vent, 300mm wide by 250mm in height, opens into the crucible. The lime kiln is built against a retaining wall which extends for 5.2m to the west, and which appears to have formed the original access ramp to the crucible.
The kiln-keepers hut is located a short distance to the south, slightly further up the valley bank. It is a simple, single room, rectangular building of rubble construction built against the bank on one of its short sides. Externally it measures 3.2m in length, by 2.8m wide. An open doorway, 0.85m wide is set into the northern end, offset to the eastern side (0.65m to the eastern wall, 1.3m to the western wall). Internally, the hut measures 2.5m long by 2.2m wide. It has been restored and has a corrugated tin roof.
Cadw note that the lime kiln is marked on a tithe map dating to 1839, indicating at least an early 19th century date. It is one of eight kilns located around Sandy Haven creek that are marked on the 1st Edition 25” OS map published in 1888. This kiln, and the others around the creek are all single kilns. The lime kiln is a Grade II Listed Building (20349), as is its associated kiln-keepers hut (20350). Sandy Haven Creek itself forms part of the defined historic landscape of the Milford Haven Waterway.
Sources
Cadw Listed Building 20349 (lime kiln) https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=20349
Cadw Listed Building 20350 (keepers hut) https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=20350
Davies, P.B.S., 1997. Pembrokeshire Limekilns. St Davids: Merrivale.
Dyfed Archaeological Trust HER PRN 34470 https://archwilio.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?watprn=DAT34470
OS 1st Edition 25" map (published 1889)
J.Whitewright, RCAHMW, October 2022.
CHERISH PROJECT 2017. Produced with EU funds through the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme 2014-2020.