Northumbrian lime industry


Back to 1798

During the 1760s lime became a significant industry for the North East of England and kilns sprang up all along the Northumbrian coast. One such example is the kiln at Seahouses which was built in the late 1760s right on the harbour. Tracks led directly to the top of the kilns so that lime quarried in the south could be tipped straight in.


 It was carted by horse-drawn wagon from the quarries south of the town. Similarly the kilns were powered by coal, which was mined to the north of the village. 

The produced quicklime was shipped out from the harbour to its key market in Scotland. By the 1830s there were daily sailings from Seahouses carrying lime to Scotland.

In November 1798 Richard Pringle built a limekiln in Beadnell alongside the harbour. It measured 24 feet high with a pot that had a 16 ft diameter at the top and 9 ft at the bottom. In exchange for the permission to build the kiln it was agreed that landowner John Wood would maintain the harbour in good repair. It was from his estate that the limestone and coal for the kiln was extracted.

Around a thousand cartloads of lime a year were produced by the kiln and it was shipped to ports in England and Scotland, directly from Beadnell Bay.  The raw materials were brought to the top of the kiln by a tramway

The site is now owned and maintained by the National Trust and an artist's impression of the kiln in operation can be found at the harbour. It shows three pots in operation.