Pistyll Limekilns

Cadw's description

Location

1 km north of Llandybie village by the A483, reached by a farm track 200m south from the Afon Marlais bridge. Large quarry to east side. Extensive traces of industrial buildings to the immediate west, including a chimney [separately listed].

History

Four mid- to late-C19 limekilns beside a quarry on the site of Pistyll Isaf Farm. The kilns are shown on the 1876 map with a railway siding between them and a quarry tramway to the top. The exploitation of the lime at Pistyll commenced in the mid-C19. The kilns are said to have been worked by Messrs Strick and Richards, and to have provided lime for ironworks at Brynammon. There was, within living memory, an overhead conveyor to bring limestone to these kilns from the quarry at Llandyfan.

Exterior

Unusual design with two facing pairs of limekilns, two to the north and two to the south, about 5m apart, with a full-width bridge connecting them at high level. Axe dressed limestone masonry with brick arches to the working areas. The whole structure is about 25m square and the bridge about 9m high.
At low level the railway siding entered the space beneath the bridge on the west side. The kiln working areas and platforms are about 2m above the former railway siding level, down to which there are four narrow concrete staircases. At the west there are remains of a structure which stood at the platform edge each side and covered the siding, and extended out from the kilns structure.
The arches over the working areas are semicircular, about 3m span. Two of the draw-holes are arched, the others have lintels. The south-west kiln has an additional working arch on the west face of the structure with two corbelled-over drawholes and a brick pier between. Two additional blind, recessed in the south face overlooking the siding.
At top level a raised causeway (for the former tramway) crosses the structure north-south, linking it the limestone quarry nearby and also via an embankment to the silica quarry 400m to the south east. One kiln opening is visible, in collapsed condition, about 4m diameter.

Reason for designation

A fine set of industrial limekilns of innovative layout.