Description and History of Site:-
This is a long narrow ridge of glacial till standing up to 2.5m higher than the surrounding plateau, and it extends east-west for c. 600m by 5m wide at the eastern end to 30m at the western end. It shows evidence of large-scale working picking limestone cobbles out of the till leaving a landscape of hills (waste heaps) and hollows (the boulder pits). The delfs tend to have been dug parallel to the length of the ridge and there is clear evidence that the whole, ridge was worked in a series of discrete parcels, presumably moving along the ridge as time went on, though it is possible different 'companies' worked different sections. Seven lime kilns have been identified along the southern edge of the ridge:

1. SE 1279 4546 - a grassed bowl earthwork with a part stone-lined rim, made of gritstone and mainly tumbled. Internal diameter 1.8m, depth at centre c. 800mm. Oriented to the south-east.
2. SE 1284 4545 - similar to no. 1 but more degraded. Internal diameter 1.7m, depth at centre c. 600mm, oriented south-east.
3. SE1292 4544 - an elongated and degraded earthwork with relict gritstone masonry; too degraded to measure accurately, oriented SSE.
4. SE 1299 4543 - similar design to nos. 1 and 2, though smaller. Of gritstone structure, oriented south-east. C. 3.3m wide by 2.6m long with depth at centre c. 1m and a flue width of 850mm.
5. SE 1301 4542 - a much broader kiln than the others and deeper within. Width 4.5m, length 3.8m, centre depth c. 1.5m, height at rear 1.8m. Aligned south-east.
6. SE 1305 4543 - this shows as a grassed earthwork more substantial than the others but with no sign of a flue tunnel. Diameter 2.4m, depth at centre c. 700mm, aligned south-east.
7. SE 1317 4542 - a very degraded and partly-infilled earthwork bowl with no visible structural stone work but with a clear banking round the bowl. Two pieces of burnt sandstone are visible through the turf. Too degraded to measure accurately. Aligned SSE. Its origins are unknown but it dates from at least the 17th century and probably even earlier. By the time the OS First Edition was surveyed c. 1850 the kilns had gone out of use but were still recognisable as kilns. A source from 1885 described this area as 'in most part covered with short green grass ... decidedly different (in) appearance to the surrounding heather clad moors' - the green nature of the ridge was accounted for by the alkaline impact of the limestone cobbles dug out of the moraine.

Further Reading and References:-
Davis, J.W. 1885. 'Geology of Ilkley and the country in its vicinity' in R . Collyer and J. Horsfall (eds). Ilkley: ancient and modern. Otley and Leeds, p. xxiv.
Johnson, D. 2010. 'Hushes, delfs and river stonary: alternative methods of obtaining lime in the gritstone Pennines. Landscape History 31 (1), pp. 37-52.

Help us improve this entry

The compilers welcome corrections or additional information on all sites.
Any information provided will be verified before appearing on the web site.

Email comments

Key Words :- limestone boulder pits glacial till

Viewing the Site :- Open Access under the CRoW Act 2000

Address :- n/a, n/a, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29
Grid Ref :- SE 1270 4546
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.905149 , Long -1.808184
Local Authority :- Leeds Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Earthworks only
Site Dates :- unknown - unknown
Record Date :- 27 January 2018

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson