MSO8867 - Post-medieval lime kilns at Brendon Hill (Monument)

ST 0199 3415. Two limekilns, Brendon Hill. Seen as stone foundations and mapped from aerial photographs. A trackway connects the limekilns to the road to the south east, and on the north side of the kilns is an embankment, which presumably had a siding on it in order to link the kilns with the West Somerset Mineral Railway. The limekilns situation suggests they were in operation at the same time as surrounding ironstone mining in the second half of the nineteenth century. [1,2] Derelict lime kilns located to the west side of the Bampton Road Stores site. [3] 'Old Limekilns' printed on the Ordnance Survey first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1888. A railway siding ran to the kilns from the top of the incline but this is not depicted. [4,5] They survive in good condition. A well developed track leads southwards from the kilns to the road, presumably used for transporting raw materials and final product. [6] The remains of a double-block limekiln built into an artificial embankment lie at ST 0199 3415. The top of the kiln was accessed via a siding from the WSMR. [9] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [10] The lime kilns are mentioned in a publication on the industrial archaeology of Somerset. [11] The heritage asset was assessed for inclusion on the Exmoor Local Heritage List in February 2024. It was noted that it's historical association is high with it's association with the development of the West Somerset Mineral Railway and Mining sites on Brendon Hills. It was deemed to have social communal value as mining sites on Brendon Hill are popular and the subject of walks with a local group, although this site is not accessible to the public it is visible from the road (vegetation permitting). It is also deemed to have group value being part of the group of sites at the head of an incline including Bampton Road Stores. It was deemed to have collective value being one of a number of limekilns on Exmoor. It was decided to add the asset to the Local Heritage List. [12]