Potash kiln

Stockdale, Longsleddale

Long blip warning ....At the risk of being carted away for bizarre moments of obsession I left work today and headed up Longsleddale. It's the first time it's felt warm for ages and although it's a long trek into another world it's a good time of day to go up the long and very narrow road up this dead-ended valley whilst everyone (including Postman Pat who lives up here) was having their tea .

I've been harbouring a curiosity about potash kilns for a while and read about this restored kiln. I wasn't exactly sure where I was heading but had seen a picture. I was surprised to initially come across the most amazing lime kiln. I hadn't expected lime here but have since read that there is a band of Coniston limestone that runs through the area. With no sign of my potash kiln (and I was beginning to play tricks with myself by imagining it might have grown in stature) I decided the lime kiln alone was a good discovery and my potash was probably a long shot anyway. I meandered on past the pipeline running water from Haweswater to Manchester at the point where it emerges from a 5 mile long tunnel (the longest of its kind when it was built) and suddenly, there it was ... the holy grail postash kiln.

Now, I know you'll be as excited as I am (and if you are, we can keep each other company in the padded cells together) but these were an essential part of the booming medieval woollen industry in the area and were where bracken was cut and burnt to produce a potash which was mixed with burnt lime and tallow to make a soft soap for washing the fleeces and for making mordants for dyes (Kendal was famous for it's dyed wool, particularly Kendal green which was made using Dyer's Greenweed and woad).

Anyway, years ago I made my own soap when I was similarly exercised about bracken and I've forgotten how I did it but I've been using a bit of it that I found recently and as it has been running out it set me to wondering again about bracken and then I'd also bought some wool compost recently .... all of which clearly set some dubious neurons firing in a dodgy old brain resulting in today's trip. All a bit batty after a long day at work but there you go.