Kiln

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A later 19th century rubble stone single-pot lime kiln cut into a W facing slope. It is square in plan and of rubble basalt construction, with squared rubble quoins. At the bottom of its W elevation is a splayed opening with three diminishing segmental arches (all with roughly dressed basalt voussoirs) leading into a draw hole at the bottom of the innermost arch whence the burnt lime was extracted from the pot. Directly above this hole is a small square poking hole (to free-up any blockages inside the pot).

The top of the kiln is level with a track running along the back of the structure. This track leads to a nearby farmhouse and would also have facilitated the filling of the pot wherein the lime and fuel were burnt. The kiln is now separated from the track by a collapsed rubble wall and post-and-wire fence.

The vertical cylindrical pot is lined with rubble stonework (no bricks). It is open all the way down to the draw hole at its bottom end.

Directly in front of the kiln is a large heap of flint nodules, undoubtedly discarded as the burnt lime was being abstracted from the kiln. A path has recently been cut though this accumulation to access the draw hole for amenity purposes.

Setting:
The kiln is surrounded to three sides by a grassed area which now forms the garden to a relatively modern bungalow a short distance to its NW.

Historical information

This kiln is not marked on the 1853 OS map, nor in any of the later valuation revision books. It is captioned as a disused lime kiln on the 1903 map, and as a lime kiln on the 1920 edition.
The available evidence therefore suggests that it dates from the later 1800s, became disused around the turn of the century, and was then revived for a time around the First World War.

References - Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/25/2. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 25 (1857).
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/1A-E. Valuation revision books, 1863-1929.
3. PRONI OS/10/1/25/1/1. OS 1:2500 map, Co Antrim sheet 25-01 (1903).
4. PRONI OS/10/1/25/1/2. OS 1:2500 map, Co Antrim sheet 25-01 (1920).

References - Secondary Sources:
1. The kiln's owner has no knowledge of its history.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A later 19th Century square plan rubblestone single pot lime kiln located in the garden of a dwelling on the east side of the Glen Road in Glenariff. The modest scale and unadorned style of this structure is typical of the many rural lime kilns which were once used by local farming communities to burn quarried limestone for use as mortar, fertiliser and whitewash. Its structural arrangement is also typical, with an open cylindrical pot at the top and arched draw hole at the base of its front elevation. Its setting - cut into the hillside - was also crucial to its ease of operation, being both accessible at the top (for loading) and bottom (for emptying). This kiln retains its original fabric including a splayed opening with three diminishing segmental arches and is largely intact. Once an important element of the area's agricultural economy, it remains of local interest.