Calke Abbey Limeyards and Brickyards, Ticknall
AOC Archaeology were commissioned by the National Trust to undertake a survey of the Calke Abbey Limeyards and Brickyards near Ticknall in Derbyshire in order to both provide an updated record of the area and to inform future conservation and management of this exceptional industrial landscape.
The lime quarrying and lime burning activity at Calke Abbey is believed to have origins in the medieval period with documentary references to lime burning as early as the 15th century.
The limeyards and brickyards also provide an exceptional example of a fully integrated industrial landscape of the late 18th and 19th centuries, providing a unique insight into the lime quarrying industry, including its transportation and use. Both the brick and limeyards at Calke Abbey were largely disused by the later 19th and early 20th century yet at least two lime kilns were still in use in the 1930s, providing building materials to the Calke Estate and other large country estates in the nearby area. The Calke Abbey limeyards and brickyards were an important asset to the local economy and lime working activity in the area spanned over 500 years.
The survey involved the creation of a gazetteer of the features in the limeyards and brickyards following a thorough survey of the area, noting the extent of the remains and their condition. The features were also plotted using a hand held GPS which was used to produce updated maps of the site which were subsequently plotted onto a Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS provided a visual representation of the features at Calke Abbey limeyards allowing a series of maps to be created. Each feature was also photographed and a measured drawings were produced.