The Lime Kiln

It's been a great day - warm and sunny and I had a great walk up Simonside with C and her dog. On the way back she was telling me the National Park had made a feature of the old lime kiln at Tossen so we had a look. In the distance you can see the west end of Rothbury.

It was built in Victorian times so that farmers could have lime to spread on the fields - the soil is too acid here. Limestone was carted from a local quarry as was coal from nearby mines, and together they were burned in the pot at very high temperatures. The remaining ash was quicklime, used not only by the farmers, but also by builders to make mortar.

Mr C has got the temporary little electric fence put up to see if we can deter the deer from munching on the rosebuds. Time will tell.