| Summary : An alum works and an associated group of jetties and breakwaters, situated on a natural enclosure of Bituminous shale along the coast of Kimmeridge. The monument is located in Kimmeridge Bay with the remains of other multi-period industrial remains which include Early Iron Age to Romano-British salt works and a post medieval glass works. Later, Sir William Clavell established a successful alum works which operated from 1605, although it closed following an alleged breach of monopoly in 1618. An inventory of 1617 records the presence of two alum houses and the possible stone foundations of these have been identified along the foreshore, buried beneath the accumulated waste deposits of later industries. Shale quarries are also present behind the coastal cliff. Archaeological survey has recorded an extensive and well stratified sequence of industrial deposits relating to the alum industry, including burnt shale, slag and other deposits, all lying to the south of the shale quarries. The foreshore is known to support a sequence of timber and stone-built jetties and breakwaters. At least two tramways were built down to the jetties to enable the export of industrial products by sea. During the 19th century oil was extracted for a time from the shale. The site is now scheduled. |
More information : (SY 90797874) Pier (NAT).
(Centred SY 912788) Tramway (Disused) (NAT)
(SY 91537877) Level (Disused) (NAT).
(SY 91667826) Shaft (Disused) (NAT). (1)
(Centred SY 908787) Kimmeridge was developed as a commercial port
towards the end of the 17th century, when a stone quay was built
to deal with the shale trade. It never paid its way and was
battered to pieces in a storm in 1745. It was replaced a century
later by a new quay which is now in ruins, with a small slipway
beside it for hauling up boats. While this little port was still
active, which was within living memory, it exported, besides the
shale, cement and fish. (2)
Alum industry built up at Kimmeridge by Sir William Clavell in the
early 17th century (Transcription of 17th century documents). (3)
SY 908787. A pier and sea wall on the east side of Kimmeridge Bay were built probably by Sir Wm Clavell in the early 17th century,
in connection with plans to extract alum from the local shale,
and also use it as fuel for the extraction of salt from sea-water.
The pier, built of large blocks of squared stone laid dry, is
approximately 75 yards long and 26 feet wide at the base of
sloping sides. Extending northeast from the pier are the tumbled
remains of a sea wall of similar construction.
A tramway behind HenCliff (SY 909787 - 912782) survives as an embankment, cuttings and terracing. It is 4 to 6 feet wide and
runs for 1900 feet from the cliff edge above Yellow Ledge down a carefully made gradient to a terraced platform about the 110
feet by 15 feet on the top of the cliff above the pier. It is
not known whether this tramway was also the work of Sir William Clavell.
In the 19th century oil was extracted for a time from the shale,
and a further tramway nearly a mile long was laid from workings
at SY 916782 and 915787 down to the shore just north of the
earlier structures, where a timber pier, now destroyed,
projected from a length of sea wall. This last survives in fair
condition. (4)
The 19th century pier is, quite correctly, not shown on the OS 25"
or the current OS 6"plans since, as it is reduced to an amorphous
spread of material, it is barely recognisable. The associated
tramway embankment at SY 90957877 is adequately shown; the cutting at SY 90957869 is visible but much ploughed down, but could probably be retained on the OS plans. (5)
Structures associated with salt boiling are visible in an eroding cliff, a possible alum furnace was uncovered on the hill east of the quay in 1976 and the stream running into the bay has been diverted, possibly for alum washing.
A glass furnace [SY 97 NW 46] was excavated in 1980-1. (6)
An alum works and an associated group of jetties and breakwaters, situated on a natural enclosure of Bituminous shale along the coast of Kimmeridge. The monument is located in Kimmeridge Bay with the remains of other multi-period industrial remains which include Early Iron Age to Romano-British salt works and a post medieval glass works. Later, Sir William Clavell established a successful alum works which operated from 1605, although it closed following an alleged breach of monopoly in 1618. An inventory of 1617 records the presence of two alum houses and the possible stone foundations of these have been identified along the foreshore, buried beneath the accumulated waste deposits of later industries. Shale quarries are also present behind the coastal cliff. Archaeological survey has recorded an extensive and well stratified sequence of industrial deposits relating to the alum industry, including burnt shale, slag and other deposits, all lying to the south of the shale quarries. The foreshore is known to support a sequence of timber and stone-built jetties and breakwaters. At least two tramways were built down to the jetties to enable the export of industrial products by sea. During the 19th century oil was extracted for a time from the shale. The site is now scheduled. (8-9)
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