Aberthaw Limeworks

On December the 22nd 1888  

'The Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company'

 opened the lime works at Aberthaw near the coast of South Wales. 

The owner David Owen was also the  owner of the

  local newspaper 'Western Mail' which still exists today.

Visit Date August 2023

Aberthaw Limeworks

The works were primarily built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland and were readily available.

The lime produced at Aberthaw was well known before the opening of the lime works and subsequent cement works. Experiments in 1756-7 were undertaken by John Smeaton to test the setting qualities of lime in seawater preparatory to designing and building the Eddystone lighthouse. Although Aberthaw lime was not used in the final construction of this lighthouse the fame it got from its inclusion of testing of materials to be used in the construction and its use in the actual construction of other docks, piers, harbours, ports and other lighthouses naturally led to increased demand which could not be fully met until this major new works was built.

Aberthaw Limeworks

Aberthaw Lime mixed with Pozzolana and fired produced a remarkably hard lime mortar whose quality of setting under water proved invaluable and may have been the forerunner to Portland Cement.

Click any image for a larger view

Aberthaw Lime Works ran until its closure in 1926 and is now a derelict structure.

Click any image for a larger view

The local limestone and brick structure is still largely intact however there has been some work done to preserve what is left and the structure is now a grade II listed building.

Internal image of the building

What we see today are 2 large vertical pot draw kilns that would have held up to 300 tons each and produced 40 tons of lime per day.

A tramway leading to the top of the kilns serviced the lime and coal for the kilns but this has now disappeared.

These wagons with the material would then have been winched to the kiln top by cables via a winding house which also has disappeared.

The lime would have been withdrawn from the bottom of the kilns again by trams and some of the track still exists and can be seen at the base of the kiln.

Base of the kiln showing rail tracks

The surviving remains include roofless stone buildings which would have housed the crushing plant and boilers. 

One of the main buildings

Internal view of one of the main remaining buildings

The square brick chimney can still be seen and is perhaps the most iconic part seen from a distance, alongside this would have been the engine house sadly this has been demolished.

The interior of the kilns is lined with firebrick and iron doors. 

The carefully constructed stone-lined draught tunnels under the kilns can still be seen. 

Interior of kiln

Draft tunnel of kiln

Although this works closed in 1926 cement is still produced in this area about 1km north of the site, at a factory founded in 1914. It receives limestone from an adjoining quarry.

Constructed near the south Wales coast, and despite being surrounded by trees it is still quite a landmark that can be seen from the coast if one walks along the Wales coastal path.

Its location is just east of the now decommissioned Aberthaw power station, whose tall chimney in the distance can still be seen dwarfing the lime works chimney.

Looking out to sea further the cold water inlet from the power station, which looks like something from a Star Wars movie, can be seen just off the coast close by.

Footer:Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.38587662515887, -3.383564003219934


What Three Words reference: -
///faced.denser.booms

OS Details: -
ST 03813 66115 Altitude:38 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is very easy but parking close is not.

The best place for this is to park in the Fontygary holiday park car park (51.38526429361768, -3.365962684286137) This park is open to visitors daily throughout the summer. It also has good facilities including a good restaurant and cafe.

From the car park you can walk down to the beach and then head west along the coast until you see the works and then join the coastal path. This would be a reasonably easy 1.6 km. WARNING: This path way is on the beach so watch for the tide times.

Alternatively go north from the car park to the top road of the park and head west. You then leave the park onto a path and then this leads down to the beach, this can by quite a climb however there are quite steep steps down to the beach but if you are mobile you can achieve this. Follow the coastal path then from the beach. This path is only on the beach for a short distance so the tides do not matter. This is slightly shorter at 1.3 km

On both these walks you will leave the beach at (51.385594477460046, -3.3807672028986824) and cross the concrete wall via the gate.

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Grove Colliery

In 1849, after the establishing iron furnaces at Kilgetty 

the Pembrokeshire Iron and Coal Company 

considered the possiblity of sinking a new pit at Grove

 to mine the Kilgetty anthracite vein and provide

 anthracite to the ironworks.

Visit Date October 2023

The Pithead and Shaft

The pit would have to be sunk to a depth of 182 metres to reach the vein.

The final decision was taken around 1852 and the new pit was started and opened some time later. When the pit finally started producing coal the Ironworks was in one of its production phases.

The Pithead and Shaft

The pit, being very close to the ironworks was to be linked underground to the workings of the older Kilgetty Colliery, which it drained. It had a tramway link directly to the Ironworks and was also connected to the Saundersfoot Railway.

The shaft was described in 1859 as the largest in Wales.

Coal from Grove was not exclusively used in the ironworks but was also taken by the Saundersfoot Railway to be sold for use elsewhere.

Inside view of Pithead

The Grove Colliery was later finally connected to Kilgetty Colliery via an underground tunnel.

Grove Colliery had its' own Smithy, Carpenters' shop and Stables which housed the pit ponies.

The associated ironworks finally ceased production in 1877 and a few years later coal extraction had ceased at Grove but the 274-horsepower Cornish Beam Pumping Engine was retained for pumping water until its' final abandonment in 1900."

The Cornish Engine House

It is reported that there remains a fully equipped stable at the foot of the shaft.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.731820524163666, -4.696051707193539

What Three Words reference: -
///jets.demanding.losing

OS Details: -
SN 13918 07112 WAltitude:58 m

Additional information.

There is parking here for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.
The site is now alongside a Holiday Park

Off the A477 the turning marked for Stepaside, Wisemans bridge and Amroth. Then follow the brown heritage signs for the ironworks.
Then look for direction to the pit.

There are no facilities at the site.

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Cwmllynfell Lime Kiln Works

 Visit Date March 2022: 

 

Today's walk took me on a journey alongside the river Afon Twrch up to the disused lime kilns at Cwmllynfell.

The area is above Swansea and on the southwest border of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

South Wales covers seams of limestone and as lime is a highly useful product in a diverse range of industries such as iron smelting, land improving and building, it is not surprising that the lime industry did well here.

There are several old ruins of lime kilns in the area and what is now left at Cwmllynfell is only part of what would have been quite a large site for the area.

There is not much history known about these lime kiln works but they date to the early to mid 1800s

The lime kilns themselves would have been part of larger works where perhaps coal was mined along with the limestone which would have been quarried close by.

Archaeologists have studied the site and come to the conclusion that there were once three chimneys on the site. One alongside this remaining chimney and one on the hill above.

Although the exact use of these chimneys is not fully known the theory is that they were part of the former engine houses that were used to work the incline hauling the coal or lime.

The second theory is that they were used as air ventilation shafts used in the associated coal mines.

The site is now much smaller and only a few ruins remain.

The remaining chimney is the most impressive part of the works and can be seen in the distance as you walk up to the site.

There are some smaller buildings further up the slope on what was called the John Hays incline that would have gone up the third chimney. These are now almost gone.

Interestingly I saw this small tree growing from the side of this wall. Seems like it has just emerged from the wall?

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Visit Information:-
Google Reference
51.80871833544981, -3.796753579869776

What Three Words reference:-

///trespass.digitally.rust

Additional information
Visiting the site is quite easy with good footpaths.

You can park the car in the village alongside a park 

(51.79688942023502, -3.8104205095605574) 

You then leave the park and turn right down the road. Google maps will direct you to take a path on the left-hand side up the hill however a better way is to continue on down the hill and across the bridge. 

Immediately after the bridge take the footpath to the left and follow this to the site. The walking is quite easy and around 1 mile. 

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