Kiln - lime

The National Monuments Service's description

Along Cobh's Whitepoint Harbour Pier. Remains of a stone-built 19th-century kiln, indicated on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map, with a small quarry associated to the S, and marked as a ‘Lime Kiln' on the 1896 OS 25-inch map, with the quarry marked as ‘disused’, which may indicate that the kiln itself was disused at that point. The kiln was likely associated with a period of significant development that took place in Cobh in the second half of the 19th century, along the line of the new ‘Great Southern and Western railway’, of which Cobh was the terminus. There is a corresponding limekiln at Blackpoint (CO087-164----), which survives more completely.

 

The limekiln at Whitepoint was built against an E-facing slope, and in recent decades has been integrated within the footprint of a modern dwelling located up slope from the structure. It is used to support an outdoor terrace, with both concrete and glass fencing installed along the top of the structure in more recent years, together with an extension to the house directly W of the kiln. The surviving structure (L 8.47m NS) is built of limestone rubble masonry, with corner quoins of alternating length (max L 1m, H c. 0.25m). It is not currently possible to assess the full external dimensions of the kiln, though on the 25-inch map it appeared as a roughly square structure. Based on the dimensions of the kiln at Blackpoint, and considering that this kiln is wider by over two meters, it is likely that it was originally much taller. The Blackpoint kiln survives to almost its original height, which is estimated to be about 6m. 

 

The kiln chamber was facing E, and was defined by an elliptical archway (Wth 4.20m, H 2.20m), which is visible but blocked up with rubble masonry. According to local information, this happened in the 1970s. A small hole was punched through the fabric blocking the arch in recent years, and it was possible to take some photographs of the interior, showing side walls slanting towards the blocked up hearth of the kiln. it is likely that like the kiln at Blackpoint, this one was also of the draw type, meaning it would have had a permanent grate over the hearth at the base of the structure, with two main openings: a stoke or ‘poking’ hole for feeding the fire and manage airflow, and a draw hole, used to both light the fire and retrieve the lime. The structure on the 25-inch map is represented with a circular shape within the square building, possibly depicting the ‘charging bowl’ at the top of the kiln, access to which was facilitated by building the kiln against a slope.

 

Compiled by Anne-Julie Lafaye

 

Date of upload: 28 November 2025