The lime kilns at Betchworth and Brockham

About 30 years ago I became interested in the limeworks sites at Brockham and Betchworth, Surrey. The Brockham site had been disused since 1936 and had been left to revert to nature. That at Betchworth was still in operation as a limeworks and was visited as an industrial site of scientific interest by my pupils in the early 1960s.

My initial interest was in the botany, and it was at Betchworth that I found my first butterfly orchid, fly orchids, man orchids, and autumn ladies' tresses. My interests then widened to encompass hearthstone mines, some of which were still active at Betchworth until the early 1950s. In this connection I was fortunate in being allowed access to the Dorking Greystone Lime Company Ltd's records (1865 onwards) by the late Major E.W. Taylerson, Managing Director. On his death, I was instrumental in arranging for the most important parts of this archive to be lodged at the Surrey Record Office, and I became interested in the lime-burning side of the site.

The management of both the Brockham and the Betchworth limeworks showed considerable initiative in constructing and operating technologically advanced lime kilns. Alfred Bishop, at Brockham, patented the 'Brockham' kiln which was once quite widely used and recognised (even in the USA) as an important advance in lime-burning. The Betchworth management introduced a number of foreign kiln designs and adapted them for lime-burning. The first Hoffman kilns in England, burning lime, were at Betchworth. The original patent had been for brickmaking. Carl Dietzsch's cement kilns were modified, erected in 1887 and 1897, and continued in use until 1937. A Smidth-type kiln was built in the 1890s but, for reasons unknown, was never fired.

The Brockham kilns survive, as do the Smidth kiln, and two pairs of Dietzsch kilns, and appear to represent now the only British examples of the latter two designs. English Heritage's Monuments Protection Programme has recognised their importance, and they are now likely to be accorded statutory Scheduled Ancient Monument status.

Meanwhile, as a result of the Landfill Tax Rebate Scheme, the Surrey Wildlife Trust has considerable sums of money to spend on conservation work at the two limeworks sites. The kilns are important hibernation sites for bats, and during the last year I have been collaborating with the Trust's steeplejacks and architects in recording and stabilising the structures.

Measured drawings have been produced, and discussions are now under way concerning remedial works to be done to prevent further deterioration of the structures, and to render them secure from unauthorised human access and more suitable as hibernation sites for bats. As these kilns are already Listed Buildings, and candidate Ancient Monuments, no work should be done on them that would not be allowed after Scheduling.

During August 2000 the writer was able to make a detailed archaeological appraisal of the Betchworth and Brockham kilns, including recording some small-scale excavations in the bases of two kilns in the southern battery at Betchworth. The results of these observations reinforce what has already been said about the archaeological importance of these structures, and the associated (but largely demolished) 1924 hydrator plant at Betchworth. A seventh kiln-type (which survives) has now been recorded at Betchworth - a novel separate-feed kiln dated (on the brickwork) to 1938.

Paul W Sowan

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Last updated March 17^th 2001
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