Bower Yard Lime Kilns Siding
Bowers Yard Lime Kilns were located approximately 1/4 mile upriver from Ironbridge and Broseley station, between that station and Buildwas. The kilns processed limestone into lime, rock having been quarried from the steep sided Ironbridge gorge at Benthall Edge. The quarries were busy in the 18th and 19th century, providing flux for use in the iron industry around Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale[1], but fell into disuse during the 1870s[2]. These original kilns may have been served by the railway[3], although OSOrdnance Survey maps show no evidence of a siding at this date.
The kilns were brought back into use during the 1920s[1], with "1928" being inscribed in one of the kilns[4], a rail siding being built at this time. The siding was still in existence in 1934[5], and it is not clear when the lime kilns and siding closed, although it is suggested that it could be as late as the 1960s[6]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bower Yard Lime Kilns, Severn Gorge Countryside Trust, accessed 7/12/2015
- ↑ Bowers Yard Lime Kilns, CBSCommunity Benefit Society, a charitable body Conservation, accessed 7/12/2015
- ↑ Shropshire's History, accessed 7/12/2015
- ↑ Lynne Morgan Design, portfolio showing information boards on the kilns, accessed 7/12/2015
- ↑ M. A. Vanns, Severn Valley Railway, A View From The Past, Shrewdale Publishing. Photo dated 1934 on p.85 shows siding
- ↑ Severn Gorge Country Trust Lime Trail Leaflet, accessed 7/12/2015
