THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - The Nearby Washington Lime Kilns

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

The village of Washington.

THE NEARBY WASHINGTON LIMEKILNS

O.S. ref: 119 124

Washington is an ancient village immediately to the north of Findon and might be said to be at the head of the wind-gap through the South Downs which is traversed by the A24 London to Worthing Road. Several limekilns were recorded in the parish in the 19th century in the days when a farm of any size had its own limekiln

For anyone left wondering at this juncture what a limekiln was and what it was originally used for.... it was an industrial structure used for burning limestone or chalk (and strangely enough I have even heard of oyster shells being used). This is all done to produce quicklime for the agriculture land to raise its pH and so improve the fertility.

The limekilns usually comprise a circular or rectangular pit in which the lime was fired using wood, charcoal or coal as the fuel. At the bottom of the limekiln there were often drawholes (or stokeholes) through which the fire was lit, stoked.... and the ashes and lime extracted. Now you know as much as I do without getting too technical.

From c. 1839 there was a very productive chalk quarry near the top of the Washington Bostal and right up until 1922 it continued to be worked by the Floate family and produced lime.

Where exactly are the Washington lime kiln remains? O.S. reference 119 124.

Going southwards towards Findon, drive carefully through Washington village. About 100 yards before the sharp left hand bend at the bottom of the Bostal there is a track on the left.

Walk up the track (this is a bridleway).....for 200 yards and on the left are the remains of the four limekilns relatively intact with their own wagon-loading bay.. On the other side of the track is evidence of the buildings. It is well worth looking at and imagining the old lime burners of 100 years ago.

Limekilns were extensive throughout Sussex, but frequently operated on a very small scale. Local farmers Thomas and Herbert Floate developed the production and sale of lime from this site into a profitable little earner sideline to their farming. Their product may have found its way down to the agriculture land at Findon.

Washington Lime Kilns

Washington Lime Kilns in January 2006

Few people in Findon seem to know about the Lime kilns just 2 miles North of Findon at Washington.

There were 4 kilns there and evidence remains of them and the waggon shed.

Entrance to Lime Kiln, January 2006.

Closed about the 1930`s they had produced lime for building and agricultural use for about 50 years. Developed by Thomas and Herbert Floate who both farmed nearby the sale of Lime produced a useful sideline to their jobs as farmers.

I heard a story that a horse and cart was sent to the kilns to take a load back to the Wiston estate. The carter loaded up the wooden cart with the lime but on the way back to Wiston decided to "have a pint" at the Frankland arms in Washington.

After he had been in the pub a while another employee of the estate going to the kilns came in and said to the carter —

"You`d better go and have a look at your load outside as it is running out of the cart".

Thinking his leg was being pulled he casually finished his pint and went back to his horse and cart. By now the hot lime had burnt a hole through the bottom of the cart and was spreading all over the road. His first thought was to get his beloved horses legs out of the burning hot lime so lead the horse, still attatched to the cart, away.

As he done this of course the remaining lime was spread all over the main road. He had some explaining to do arriving back at Wiston estate as he had lost the load and the cart needed a new bottom.( not sure what the poor horse needed)

At the top of the kilns is an animal. From below it appears for all the world from this angle as a giraffe !

As we turn from the kilns we have this distant view of Washington Church through the trees, bathed in the wintry sunshine.

John Stepney, Findon Village, West Sussex.

30th January 2006

Hi Valerie,

Lime Kilns

May I add a little to John Stepneys Lime Kiln Story, My Uncle Jim Pelling and his family lived and worked at the Lime Kilns, he drove the first lorry in Washington "an Albion"

The administration offices were on the opposite side of the lane to the Kilns, I remember them working when we walked home from Washington School to
North Farm, during the war years in the Blackout the Kilns were covered with
iron sheets supported on old Railway lines.

Dozens of farm cats of all colours and shapes use to sit in a circle around the tops of the Kilns to keep warm on cold winter nights, Farm cats were very wild I managed to tame a tabby Kitten at Rogers Farm and called it "Tibs" we had to leave it behind when we left as it lived in the barns and would not come into the house.

My cousin Don Pelling worked in Lime until very recent years.

From John Pelling of Lower Salvington Nr Worthing Sx.

1st February 2006

Dear Valerie,

Lime

Interesting to read about the limekilns at Washington. Findon has its own at Tolmare of course.

In 1976 I walked into a shop in a small village in the Scottish Highlands and saw bags of lime for sale from Washington, Sussex. I dont know whether it was still being produced then or whether it was very old stock !

Cheers
Lawrie May
Antigua
West Indies

At the beginning of February 2006, I set off to find the elusive limekilns at nearby Washington for myself with my two faithful friends, Katie and her sister Suzie...

Here is the complete fascinating complex stretching along the cliff side....

The long abandoned kilns appear to have been constructed at different times, depending on the demand for lime I suppose.

The kilns were filled from above. On the top right, a broken wooden structure can be seen now covering the "chimney" on the edge of the cliff.

Kiln interior where the lime was extracted before going to the loading bay.

This is inside. Perhaps these are the last remnants of broken lime.

I guess these are the foundations of the offices on the opposite side of the track mentioned by John Pelling.

..... and here is the complete elusive giraffe at the top of the cliff face...

MYSTERY..... Has anyone an idea what this is?

Suggestions welcomed..... because I haven't a clue.... it was beside the "giraffe".

9th February 2006

Valerie

Mystery Object

From the length of the 'legs' it is obviously a collapsed Giraffe Feeding
Trough.

Regards

Bruce

Bruce Elston, Gaborone, Botswana.

9theSeptember 2007

Dear Ms Martin, Would just like to say that I found your web site re the Lime Kilns most interesting.

Following family tree research I discovered that my Grandmother's Grandfather worked at the Lime Kilns around the 1850's.

He was a William Knight and in fact lived next door to the Floates.

What was more surprising for me was the letter from Mr John Pelling as my Grandmother, Ada Knight, married a Harry Pelling, who later became the Station Foreman at Worthing Central Station in the 1940s - 1950s.

The map reference is helpful as I intend to visit the Kilns with my son today.

Best wishes David Richards

Continue if you would like to read about

The Tolmare Limekiln

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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com