Thorngreen Lime Kiln

We're working our way through the huge amount of lime kilns in Northumberland and the Thorngreen Lime Kiln has a bit of an interesting conservation story.

This kiln is actually built into the hillside (the wonderfully and promiscuously named Slag Hill) which hugely helped with the filling of the pots as a short length of tramway connected it to the nearby quarry. This meant that you could simply load up your cart then easily push it down to the kiln.

But the successful use of the kiln meant that the intense heat generated resulted in large vertical cracks in the walls and usually the whole kiln had to be rebuilt.

But the conservation chaps had a more ingenious way of saving the Thorngreen Lime Kiln and it actually involved socks!

These mesh fabric socks has an enclosed steel bar and then are inserted into the structure at key points before being pumped full of a special grout which then expands moulding itself into the gaps and therefore securing the structure. This would help to repair the kiln without changing its outward appearance.

So if you're down visiting the Thorngreen Lime Kiln have a lookout for the socks keeping this building standing for everyone to enjoy.

It's now so strong you can park your car on top of it!