Lime Kilns

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A block of two derelict shaft-type lime kilns of 1920s date in an abandoned limestone quarry on the SE slopes of Squire’s Hill, just west of the junction of the Crumlin and Hightown Roads. These were used to produce quicklime by burning limestone with fuel (generally coal or coke). The quarry, from which the limestone was obtained, was on higher ground above the kilns. It is now infilled and capped, but high steep banks of earth and stone still surround the kilns which are accessed along a concrete road from the Crumlin Road.
The kilns are set in a substantial brick base which is aligned NE-SW and held together with three metal tie rods secured to angle-irons running up each corner. This base is constructed mostly of red brick set in cement-rich mortar, but with some yellow brickwork to the draw hole façade which faces SE. Whilst the yellow brickwork could signify a later repair, it could equally just reflect a different source of brick used at the time of construction. This base, which is presumably solid, would have retained the heat of the two kilns set within.
There are two draw holes to the SE elevation, both now heavily overgrown. Each has a shallow segmental-arched concrete head which slopes in and down to a square brick-lined room directly under each kiln. The ceilings of these spaces are also of cast concrete. Projecting down from the centre of each ceiling, in the direction of the draw hole, is a square metal chute, now in poor repair.
The other three sides of the base are largely exposed but devoid of openings; the NE elevation is also now heavily overgrown.
The top of the base is flat and capped with concrete. A reinforced-concrete platform originally bridged the gap between its NW side to the ground beyond to facilitate access to, and loading of, the kilns. Large fragments of this platform lie on the ground and it was probably deliberately broken up to prevent future access to the kilns after their abandonment.
Projecting from the top of the base are two cylindrical stacks. They are of firebrick and are externally clad with riveted metal sheeting. One of the bricks is indented ‘Thistle/ 12’. These refactory bricks were made by J.G. Stein of Scotland.
The top of each stack reduces to a narrower circular brick flue, although that to the SW stack has largely collapsed. On the NW face of each kiln is a large square hinged opening through which the shafts were loaded with limestone and fuel. What may be vestiges of a draught-control lever survive at the top of the NE stack.

A short distance NE of the kilns under review is a bank of four later 19th C kilns of traditional design aligned E-W across the slope. Its continuous front wall, which is of random rubble, is now partly buried under soil and had collapsed along its western half. Only the left-hand draw hole is now visible amidst the overgrowth. It has a segmental-arched head sloping down to a large horizontal stone lintel over the actual hole from which the burnt lime was extracted.
Behind the façade, all four circular pots are still evident, although all have partly collapsed and are largely infilled. Interestingly, all the pots are lined with random rubble rather than brick. A loading terrace runs level across the back of the pots, from which the quarried limestone and fuel were layered into the pots for burning.

Historical information

The 1857 OS map depicts a small quarry and several single-pot kilns hereabouts. They are noted in the 1859 Valuation book as belonging to Thomas McCullough. By 1880, they were in the ownership of David McCullough , and belonged to James McCullough from 1884. However, they are listed as ‘not worked’ from 1889 onwards.
The bank of four kilns just NE of the two under review are first shown on the 1901 OS map. That they are not captioned as ‘disused’ suggests that they were working and probably superseded the aforementioned defunct ones. The maps therefore indicate that this sect of four is of later 19th C date; a more precise date is uncertain.

Samuel McGladery leased ground in Upper Ballysillan townland from the Earl of Shaftesbury in 1905 for the purposes of quarrying limestone. The first lease was in March of that year, and the second in August. Interestingly, the latter was conditional upon McGladery winning a contract to supply Belfast Corporation Gasworks with lime (it was used to purify the coal gas). He also entered into agreements with neighbours in both Ballysillan and Ballysillan Upper for them to supply him with dressed quarried limestone ready for burning.

The two kilns under review are first shown on the 1931 OS map, and again on the 1937 edition (as ‘L.K.’). They were therefore constructed in the 1920s, probably to meet a building boom in the inter-War years.
A return of the quarry’s output in 1935 by Gerald McGladery & Co noted the production of 11,500 tons of limestone for the manufacture of lime and cement, a further 50 tons for the fluxing of blast furnaces, and 5750 tons of lump and/or ground white lime. The limestone had probably been burnt as 1110 tons of coke were used and 430 tons of coal; it is unlikely that all of this would have been used on steam-powered bucket excavators to remove blasted stone from the quarry face. For 1936, the output was 6600 tons limestone for lime/cement, 50 tons for fluxing, and 3300 tons of lump/ground white lime. 700 tons of coke were used (i.e. around one ton of coke per ten tons of burnt lime).
The 1936 Valuation entry also notes Gerald McGladery as the owner of the limestone quarry. It passed to Herbert McGladery & Co around 1941.

Unfortunately there are no entries in the Belfast Street Directories for this particular locality until 1951 when McGladery & Co are listed as ‘lime burners’. Evidently the kilns were still being used. Herbert McGladery & Co are listed as ‘hydrators and lime burners’ in the 1960 Directory. The pair of kilns is cited as ‘Kiln’ on the 1966 OS map, which suggests that they were still in use.
In 1973 there was a change of ownership in the street directories. Casting & Engineering NI were now listed as the owners, suggesting that lime burning had ceased. By 1990, this firm had disappeared from the directories as well, suggesting that the site had been abandoned, at least for quarrying purposes.

References – Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/56/2. OS 6-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 56 (1857).
2. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/21B. Second Valuation book (1859).
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/5/5A. Valuation revision book (1865-1880), p.32.
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/5/5B. Valuation revision book (1881-1890), p.44.
5. PRONI OS/10/1/56/16/1. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 56 (1901).
6. PRONI D3300/124/1-3. Agreements between Samuel McGladery, the Earl of Shaftsbury and others, 1905.
7. PRONI OS/10/1/56/16/2. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 56 (1920).
8. PRONI OS/10/1/56/16/3. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 56 (1931).
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/17. Valuation revision book (1936-1957), p.23.
10. PRONI COM/96/78/30. Returns of non-metalliferous mines and quarries for 1935-36 by Messrs McGladery.
11. PRONI OS/10/1/56/16/4. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 56 (1937).
12. Belfast & Provincial Street Directory, 1951, p.180.
13. Belfast & Provincial Street Directory, 1960, p.198.
14. PRONI OS/11/129/8/1. OS 1:2500 map, sheet 129-08 (1966).
15. Belfast & Provincial Street Directory, 1973, p.147.
16. Belfast & Provincial Street Directory, 1990.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

The shaft kilns are probably of a type known as ‘continuous draw’ kilns, in which the burnt lime was produced on a continuous basis: as the burnt lime was extracted from the bottom of the kiln, more layers of limestone and fuel were added at the top. There is no obvious evidence that they were of the more efficient ‘regenerative’ type whereby both shafts were worked simultaneously, the exhaust gasses from one being used to heat the other before the cycle is reversed.
They are of architectural interest, on account of their structural form which differs significantly from traditional lime kilns. Also of interest is the nearby bank of four earlier kilns which make an interesting contrast in terms of scale, construction materials and structural form. There are few kilns of the shaft type anywhere in Northern Ireland and this pair would appear to be rare survivals. Historically, they are also of interest in that they are largely unaltered and reflect the continuing use of burnt lime during the earlier part of the 20th C, before the use of cement became ubiquitous.