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Summary

'Old kilns' shown on late 19th century Ordnance Survey maps, between the River Tavy and the Tavistock Canal. Constructed 1816-17 by Gill & Company without permission from the Bedford Estate, who strenuously objected. A series of letters documenting the disagreement survive in the Bedford Estate papers.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47SE/102

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LIME KILN (Constructed, XIX - 1816 AD to 1817 AD (Between))

Full description

Waterhouse, R., Plans of Tavistock Wharf (Plan - measured). SDV351507.

G10 - Lime kiln and incline.

Unknown, 18/03/1983, Untitled Source (Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry). SDV350235.

Use unspecified, perhaps limekilns, proximity to canal and river.

Ordnance Survey, 1855-1895, First Edition 1:500 Town Map (Cartographic). SDV338879.

'Old Kilns' marked to south of canal.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Old Kilns' shown in south-west corner of timber yard, to north of river.

Hedges, C., 1975, The Tavistock Canal. A Short History (Monograph). SDV361772.

Waterhouse, R., 2010, Tamar Valley Industrial Archaeology (Website). SDV361017.

The basic layout of the limekiln on Tavistock Wharf is known from a sequence of 19th century maps and plans. It was demolished in several stages from the late 19th to early 20th centuries and only a small fragment now survives, against the south perimeter wall of the wharf. This contains evidence for a draught/access tunnel running across the kiln structure; a feature shared with Hodge's surviving kiln at Moorswater, whose winding apparatus was sited within such a tunnel. The layout of the Tavistock kiln in the interpretation plan is inferred from the Moorswater kiln, as are the likely arrangements for the railways on the kiln top and the kiln eyes, by which the lime was unloaded. This is of course an interpretation, and the exact layout can never be known for certain without archaeological excavation.

Waterhouse, R., 2017, The Tavistock Canal. Its History and Archaeology, 266-7, figs 8.27-8.30 (Monograph). SDV361789.

Tavistock Wharf Limekiln. Although most of the structure has been demolished, it is one of the best documented limekilns on the canal. Constructed by Gill & Company without permission from the Bedford Estate, who strenuously objected. A series of letters documenting the disagreement survive in the Bedford Estate papers. Dates to 1816-17. Detailed description of construction given. See publication for full detail.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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