Wrens Nest Limestone Works |
| Hob Uid: 1404494 | |
Location :
Dudley
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : SO9415091700 |
| Summary : Lime working remains in Dudley. The monument includes the best surviving remains of the limestone quarrying, mining, and processing industry in Dudley. It includes the remains of quarries, mines and caverns, the lime kilns, horseshoe kilns, the lime pyes, and part of the associated canal transport system at Wren's Nest, Mon's Hill, Castle Hill, and the Black Country Museum. Most of the remains are located on two parallel outcrops of Much Wenlock Limestone, forming steep-sided ridges. Quarrying on the site dates to at least the the 12th century when limestone for St James' Priory was quarried on Castle Hill. Quarrying ceased in 1939. |
More information : Scheduled. (1)
Three sets of different kilns adjacent to the Dudley Canal, centred on SO948917. The earliest kilns were built into the portal of the Dudley Canal Tunnel, which linked the site with the underground workings in Wrens Nest area. Five flare kilns were erected close by between 1800-1830. The supply of stone soon outstripped capacity and a massive bank of draw kilns was erected on a specially built canal arm of 1842.
The main surviving bank of kilns is a late 18th century stone-built draw kiln on the south side of the canal tunnel.
A little to the east of the former is a bank of five flare kilns of the horseshoe type, excavated by the Black Country Museum in the 1980s, but little is now visible.
Surviving bank of four mid-19th century draw kilns built of coursed stone and restored, on the north side of the 1842 canal arm. Three of the kilns are earlier, and have round-headed tunnels leading to the draw arch from the canal side. Each draw arch contains two pairs of poking holes above two large draw eyes, all with iron frames. The kilns are separated by vertical brick shafts, accesed by similar tunnels to the draw arches, which appear to rise up through the bank. The fourth kiln was built onto the east end of the bank, has a similar draw arch, and also a large arched opening approximately half way up and apparently of a larger volume than the others. A loading crane was installed on top of the bank in 1910. (2)
Recorded by NRIM. (3) |