18th to 19th century lime kiln plantation at Shortgrove Estate (EHER 40706)

Late 18th to early 19th century lime kiln structures and extraction pit.

A complex of lime kilns and related structures built into the bank of chalk quarry pit lie within Limekiln plantation (TL 52992 36140) and the grounds of the Shortgrove Park Estate. The lime kilns were and still can be reached using a private made track, which runs south through the plantation from the Northern Lodge House off Sparrows Hill. It can also be viewed, at a distance, via the public footpath which follows the eastern boundary of the limekiln and ten acre plantation. There was a great demand for lime during the 19th century, as it supplied two growth industries i.e. the construction trade which used lime for lime mortars, lime washes, lime plasters, bricks and concretes and the agricultural and horticultural industries where lime was as used for fertilizers, animal feed additives and as a disinfectant. 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), they release carbon dioxide, leaving 'quicklime' which, by chemical reaction when mixed with water ('slaking'), can be turned into a stable powder, lime. The form of lime kilns developed from small intermittent clamp and flare kilns, to the larger and more industrially orientated continuously fired draw kilns of the 19th century. There are well-developed regional characteristics, borne out by the styles of East Anglia, West Gloucestershire or Derbyshire and disparity in scale from individual lime kilns built adjacent to a quarry through to large-scale commercial operations. The design and layout of the Shortgrove structures are typical of the East Anglian kilns, which are unique to the region and were built, in a contemporary sense, using the more advanced draw kiln but on a scale more typical of the Essex industry. At present the full extent and complexity of the site and its structures is unknown. The most obvious surviving structure is a virtually complete brick-built lime kiln set into the western bank of the extraction pit. Less obvious are a complex of underground brick lined flues, channels and passages which potentially relate to more associated structures buried within the immediate area. Although the kiln is no longer fully intact, its survival and legibility enables a later 18th to early 19th century date to be suggested and through analysis of form a direct comparison with a continuous mixed feed draw kiln. The interior of the kiln still comprises a round (in plan) barrel vaulted circulation passage, set around a central pedestal of the combustion chamber or pot. The pedestal has at least three tapping apertures with arch heads and sloping sills used for setting the fire in the pot, raking out ash and ultimately removing the lime. The pot remains (mainly) intact and flares out to the top of the kiln structure to terminate at the level of the surrounding (unexcavated) ground surface. The Shortgrove kilns adopt the same design as the only other surviving lime kiln in Essex, i.e. the scheduled lime kiln at Beaumont Quay (NMR No. 32455/EHER 9121). This was identified during an extensive survey of the Lime Industry carried out by ECC in the later 1990s. Although unfortunately the kilns at Shortgrove were overlooked the survey recorded a total of 19 sites of which at the time only two sites, Beaumont Quay and Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden (EHER 15007) retained any form of extant structure. Since this report these two sites have enjoyed rather different fortunes, the Thaxted Road lime kiln has been demolished while the kiln at Beaumont Quay has been scheduled as a 'rare example of the East Anglian form' and now incorrectly as 'the only one of its type to survive in the area'. Given the extent and quality of the surviving remains, the comparative rarity of lime kilns in Essex (being one of only two surviving kilns) and an example of the East Anglian form, these historic late 18th to early 19th century industrial structures deserve the recognition they merit. They are certainly important historic structures on a local and regional level and may well merit designation through scheduling. The site is presently under threat as the chalk quarry in which the kilns have sat undisturbed for the last 200 years is rapidly being filled in with general building debris and waste. If not addressed this practice may prove to be catastrophic to the preservation and integrity of the kilns, brickwork could deteriorate further while collapse of standing walls, subterranean flues and internal vaulting would possibly result. Hence, the continued burial of the site should at all costs be discouraged as it will ultimately compromise and very likely seriously damage an important historic industrial and archaeological site. <1>