Bower Yard Lime Kilns
The Bower Yard Lime Kilns were used for roughly 50 years to produce quicklime in the Ironbridge Gorge. Limestone was quarried above the kilns from Benthall Edge, then transported down where it was heated with coal. Railway sidings were later constructed attached to the Severn Valley line. The lime kilns are mainly intact and exist as a monument to the many industries that once dotted this landscape.
Key info
Visiting guide
Open 24 / 7
Free entry
Paid car park
What can I expect when visiting Bower Yard Lime Kilns?
Start from the Station Yard Car Park at the southern approach of the Iron Bridge. Head west along the track bed of the Severn Valley Railway for 450 metres. You will then see an information board and gate to your left, head on through.
The wall to the left marks where the railway sidings ran into the distance. Workers above could easily load the final product into open-top freight wagons.
Head up the steps to your left then take the right staircase leading up to the kilns.
On your left, you will see the concrete pillars that once carried the crushing plant. This is where limestone quarried above the kilns would have been crushed into smaller chunks that could be shovelled by workers. A conveyor belt was later installed to deliver limestone through the plant into a hopper, which was supported on the columns you see today.
You will then reach the kilns. Layers of coal mixed with crushed limestone was set alight and allowed to burn for 3 to 5 days, reaching a temperature of 1,000°C. The energy was transferred from the heat to the limestone causing a chemical reaction to make quicklime. Notice a steel girder has been installed in the left buttress as part of the work carried out in the 1920s to bring the site back into operation after roughly 50 years of inactivity.
Peer through the fencing of the kiln arch for a view of the flue straight ahead and draw holes either side where workers would have lit the fires to start production. These holes are also where the final product would have been collected and transferred into wheelbarrows before loaded on the railway.
There is a path up a steep incline to the right of the kilns that leads to the top where you can view one of the open kiln pots. This is the kiln was charged with coal and limestone before the a fire was lit.
History of Bower Yard Lime Kilns
The lime kilns were constructed during the mid 1800s and were in operations until the 1870s when the industry fell into decline. An increase in the demand of limestone during the 1920s meant the kilns were called into action again and improvements were required. This is when the new crushing plant and conveyor belts were installed. The archway and buttress were repaired and the railway siding from the Severn Valley line was constructed. Here is an illustration of what the kilns may have looked like after operations resumed.
The kilns eventually stopped working in the 1940s and gradually fell into disrepair. Major conservation work was carried out in 2011 by the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust and Telford & Wrekin Council.
Bennerley Viaduct