The proximity of this small limekiln (and its adjacent small limestone quarry) to the Ribblehead Railway Construction Camp has led many people to speculate that it provided burnt lime for the mortar used during the construction of Ribblehead Viaduct (and the other major railway-related structures in this area). However, the SCRCA Project Team has not yet found any documentary, archaeological or other evidence to support this theory.
The kiln is a traditional field limekiln, and these typically produce a relatively low-grade of burnt lime. Such kilns are also extremely inefficient and it is highly unlikely that this one could have produced either the quality or the quantity of lime needed for the construction works in this area. Furthermore, a number of contemporary accounts clearly state that lime was transported by train from Barrow-on-Soar in Leicestershire to Ingleton, then carried up to the site on pack-horses and carts. The presence of this limekiln (and the adjacent quarry) is easily explained by the need to cheaply produce agricultural lime to 'improve' the acidic soils that occur naturally across much of the surrounding common land and enclosed fields.
This site has been included in the SCRCA Project database in order to record and publish the information provided above and to invite anyone with contradictory information to contact us.
