These two don’t really merit a report in their own right but together they make a nice little write-up. Both were a very relaxed wander in farmers fields in this lovely neck of Rutland.
1. Wakerley Calcining Kilns
Sitting in a field just south of the Rutland village of Wakerley, this ensemble of four kilns were built in 1915 for the Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd for calcining the quarried ironstone. The quarry began previously in October 1907 with some trial holes, but quarrying did not start until November 1911. A siding agreement with London and North Western Railway followed in July 1913. The quarries ran for a short while until the lease was surrendered and taken over by Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd in 1915. Gravity was used to help the loaded tubs of ironstone reach the tipping dock and two horses then hauled the empty tubs back to the pits. Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd swiftly built four Calcining Kilns using the labour of Italian prisoners-of-war and an engine room containing a horizontal boiler. Calcining was a means of reducing the volume of ore to be transported by burning-off part of the ore as carbon dioxide. This was often done by burning the ore in large heaps on the ground rather than in kilns. Some reports state that the kilns were never used and only two of the four were ever completed.
From 1918 and now in the hands of Partington Steel & Iron Co. Ltd the quarry was extended the opposite side of the Harringworth Road and the tramway tunnelled underneath. Around this time a second tipping dock was added to the newer eastern one and this is evident today as the original one is faced with stone and the new addition is red brick. The quarry became mechanised in later life making use of a Bucyrus Class 14 Steam Shovel and a Ruston Steam Transporter.
The quarry closed somewhere around 1921, the track was taken up and the bridge under the road filled in. Today both tipping docks are still clearly visible, although the Engine Room has crumbled.
img0046 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0039 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0038 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0037 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0031 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0030 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0025 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0022 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0021bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
2. Windmill, South Luffenham
This super little windmill is situated just outside South Luffenham. It was Grade II listed on 29th June 1984. The mill dates back to 1832 and is constructed of coursed rubble stone with red brick, dentilled eaves and cambered lintels. No roof or floors remain in the four-storey mill, although some tie-beams remain in-situ. The stone tablet dated 1832 can be found over the main entrance door facing westwards. Apparently in 1895 a storm blew the cap off. Despite this the building continued to be used until 1908.
img0070 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0054 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0053 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0056 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0068 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0058 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0065 by HughieDW, on Flickr
1. Wakerley Calcining Kilns
Sitting in a field just south of the Rutland village of Wakerley, this ensemble of four kilns were built in 1915 for the Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd for calcining the quarried ironstone. The quarry began previously in October 1907 with some trial holes, but quarrying did not start until November 1911. A siding agreement with London and North Western Railway followed in July 1913. The quarries ran for a short while until the lease was surrendered and taken over by Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd in 1915. Gravity was used to help the loaded tubs of ironstone reach the tipping dock and two horses then hauled the empty tubs back to the pits. Wakerley Ironstone Co. Ltd swiftly built four Calcining Kilns using the labour of Italian prisoners-of-war and an engine room containing a horizontal boiler. Calcining was a means of reducing the volume of ore to be transported by burning-off part of the ore as carbon dioxide. This was often done by burning the ore in large heaps on the ground rather than in kilns. Some reports state that the kilns were never used and only two of the four were ever completed.
From 1918 and now in the hands of Partington Steel & Iron Co. Ltd the quarry was extended the opposite side of the Harringworth Road and the tramway tunnelled underneath. Around this time a second tipping dock was added to the newer eastern one and this is evident today as the original one is faced with stone and the new addition is red brick. The quarry became mechanised in later life making use of a Bucyrus Class 14 Steam Shovel and a Ruston Steam Transporter.
The quarry closed somewhere around 1921, the track was taken up and the bridge under the road filled in. Today both tipping docks are still clearly visible, although the Engine Room has crumbled.
2. Windmill, South Luffenham
This super little windmill is situated just outside South Luffenham. It was Grade II listed on 29th June 1984. The mill dates back to 1832 and is constructed of coursed rubble stone with red brick, dentilled eaves and cambered lintels. No roof or floors remain in the four-storey mill, although some tie-beams remain in-situ. The stone tablet dated 1832 can be found over the main entrance door facing westwards. Apparently in 1895 a storm blew the cap off. Despite this the building continued to be used until 1908.
