Location Minera Limeworks
Borough Wrexham
Grid Reference SJ 255519
Date of visit 21 March 2004


 
The Minera Lime Company became a limited company in 1865 there was a significant injection of capital into the business. A tangible result of this was the erection of a large Hoffman kiln in 1868. Although first introduced for brickmaking in with a patent of 1858, the design was soon adapted for limeburning and the Minera kiln was one of the first.

 
There are 24 chambers, each capable of holding 120 tons of limestone. The charge burned sequentially through the chambers in oval kiln sequentially. There was a central flue and chimney and the kiln operated continuously, being capable of producing large quantities of lime. The fuel was fed from above through a series of feed holes.

 

The charge was placed into the kiln via a number of wickets which were walled up during the burning ande then reopened to remove the burned lime.

Production ceased in 1929 when new gas fired kilns were introduced but was resumed after they proved unsatisfactory. After takeover of the quarry by Adam Lythgoe Limited on 1954 this kiln, and another smaller Hoffmann kiln of 1874, were abandoned.

 



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© David Kitching 2004

Page last updated 6.6.2004