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A lot of water and a dash of lime, please

11th Oct 2005

The ancient art of lime slaking was brought back to life at Northamptonshire’s Welford Wharf yesterday (Monday 10 October).

Heritage experts from British Waterways South East re-created this once popular method of producing lime mortar as part of a nationwide campaign to highlight the many historic structures and buildings owned by the public corporation.

British Waterways, which cares for more than 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across the UK, including the Welford Arm of the Grand Union Canal, has been named by English Heritage as the third largest owner of Listed Structures in the country.

Welford Wharf is a popular destination with boaters and walkers, situated just outside the small town of Welford in Northamptonshire. It is home to the remains of the Welford lime kilns, once the largest kiln site alongside the Grand Union Canal.

The kilns’ hey-day was in the early 1800s, when an increased demand for lime by farmers saw limestone being transported along the canals to the kilns, where it was burnt and turned into lime for use as fertiliser on local farms.

Peter Chowns, environment & heritage manager, British Waterways South East, commented: “While well-loved structures such as Blisworth Tunnel and the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne are familiar to people living in Northamptonshire, lesser known aspects of our waterways heritage can be equally inspiring.

“With over 3,000 designated examples of industrial heritage and engineering feats nationwide, British Waterways wants to encourage people to visit their local waterways and discover the significance these structures have to Northamptonshire’s industrial past.”

From soaring aqueducts to atmospheric tunnels, simple mile posts to stable blocks and locks, British Waterways is charged with conserving and maintaining the UK’s historical waterways estate. Traditional techniques and materials such as lime mortar application, as well as specialist engineering knowledge, are employed to care for a 200-year-old waterway network that is visited more than 300 million times every year.

Did you know, bizarre ingredients were added to lime mortar to improve its strength, durability and even colour, including:

  • Animal hair, usually from a goat, was added for extra strength and to minimise shrinking/cracking
  • Quartz was also used to minimise shrinking
  • Beer was added as it created bubbles which made the mortar more breathable
  • Oil made the mortar more waterproof
  • The blood of a strong animal, often an ox, was believed to strengthen anything made from lime mortar. It also coloured the mortar.

Last updated: 22/10/2008