Consett industrial heritage site to go up for auction

Lime kilns were common up until the 19th century, using intense heat, fuelled by coal, wood or peat, to break down limestone rock into lime, which was used to bind and render stonework, improve soil fertility, whitewash buildings.

The six, now dilapidated, stone-built lime kilns at Annfield Plain were constructed in 1835 for the Stanhope and Tyne Railway and were fuelled by nearby coal mines. Sold to the Derwent Iron Company of Consett in 1842 after the railway company went bankrupt, production ended at the site around 1850.

Now the kilns, on a 2.5 acre plot of grassland, are being put up for auction. Immediately adjacent to the A693, the lime kiln site can also be accessed by foot from national cycle route 7.

Director Edward Feather from Pugh said: “This is a really interesting site that is steeped in the industrial heritage of the North East. Restrictions mean it can be developed for recreational use only, but there are all sorts of innovative ways in which this hectare of land could be developed within those guidelines.

“It would be great to see how it can be repurposed to become an asset to the local area once again.”

The lime kilns, along with over 100 other properties and plots of land will appear in Pugh’s online property auction on 18 September.