Limekiln

"Limekiln at Reay", watercolour, 16 x 26 cm

Limekilns are found in limestone country, where the soils are thin, and they were used to produce fertiliser. The limestone was burnt at high temperature to produce lime, which was then mixed with water to produce quicklime. When it was spread on fields, it reduced the acidity and improved the fertility.

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Comments

Bruce Sherman said…
Hello again Keith,

Good to see this new post. It has been a stretch since your last post and I missed your online presence.

Another strange crossover between your area and our own here. Kingston is located on a limestone plane... much of the stone being used for architectural materials for the beautiful limestone residences for which Kingston is known. Her name "The Limestone City" is well earned.

I have seen what remains of limestone kilns in the outlying rural countryside and now understand their purpose and presence there.

Hope that all is well in your life and that summer arrived on time there. The river water levels are the highest that they have ever been and flooding has caused much upset and damage to land and homes. A terrible mess!

Warmest regards,
Bruce and Deb
Keith Tilley said…
Hello Bruce,

I used to see limekilns all over the place when I lived in the North of England, which has extensive areas of limestone. The geology here is mostly clay and shale, so they are a bit rarer, but this one is a particularly fine example.

Unfortunately, summer hasn't really arrived here yet. We had a very good spring, but then the temperatures dropped again, and they haven't recovered. I'm sorry to here about the flooding in your area. There's been quite a lot of rain in England, but we've missed most of it here in the North of Scotland. The weather is certainly getting unpredictable these days.

Stay dry!
All the best,
Keith

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