2009

NS4178 : Remains of a lime-kiln

taken 14 years ago, near to Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland

This is 1 of 8 images, with title Remains of a lime-kiln in this square
Remains of a lime-kiln
Remains of a lime-kiln
This is the eleventh of twelve former lime-kiln sites that are located along a short section of the Murroch Burn (the end-note has a link to an index of all twelve sites).

Sites 1 to 9 are located within woodland, but sites 10 to 12 (those furthest upstream) are out in the open, each one located at the foot of a long ridge enclosed within a bend of the Murroch Burn (see Link for a view of some of those ridges). Even today, these long ridges make access to the ruins slightly easier, although they are fairly narrow, and the descents steep (they are therefore not to be undertaken lightly when the ground is wet); nevertheless, it is still easier to get from site to site by climbing one ridge and descending another than it is to attempt to walk along the banks of the Murroch Burn.

All that now remains of this kiln (site 11) is a circular pit with an internal diameter of 3.1 metres, mostly covered by grass, although some flat slabs from the stone walls are visible on the outer edge of the pit nearest the burn (by way of contrast, see site 9 – Link – for a very well-preserved wall, giving some indication of how these lime-kilns might once have looked).

The steep-sided valley of the burn was filled with mist when this picture was taken; this accounts for the unusual lighting (the camera angle was also chosen to conceal the unsightly remains of a large abandoned tent, hidden in this photo by the far wall of the pit). The Murroch Burn is visible in the left-hand side of the image; it approaches and then winds around the large mound that is visible in the background.
Lime-kiln ruins beside the Murroch Burn

These lime-kilns ruins beside the Murroch Burn (see Link for the burn itself) are in the form of small green knolls, each of which has a pit, about three metres across, at its centre. See Link for an index to their positions. In a small-scale local industry (early eighteenth to early nineteenth century), limestone was burned to produce lime for agricultural use. Further downstream, a larger kiln of a different design – Link – stands on the other side of the burn, beside Murroch Farm.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Lairich Rig and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Near: The Murroch Burn Ruin: Lime-Kiln Period: 18th Century Category: Lime kilns other tags: Archaeology Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Articles: · Relics of the limestone industry on Dumbarton Muir Automatic Clusters: · Narrow Ridges [6] · Sites 10 and 11 [3] Other Photos: · Remains of a lime-kiln Title Clusters: · Remains of a lime-kiln [8] ·
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Grid Square
NS4178, 67 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Lairich Rig   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 11 December, 2009   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 16 December, 2009
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4168 7861 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:58.4576N 4:32.3171W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4169 7862
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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