Building record IKN 016 - Limne kiln, Iken Cliff

Lime kiln mapped at Iken Cliff (S1).

The Kiln is a circular, conical structure with a diameter of c.5.5m and standing to a height at the eves of c.2m. The building is now covered by a conical thatched roof over a timber and plywood superstructure of fairly recent date. North-west facing double-doors with a large oak lintel, a single southeast facing door and a partial concrete floor, occupying the north-eastern third of the building, all appear to be fairly recent additions. The top two courses of brick have new lime mortar and contain occasional sooted bricks unlike the rest of the structure so are unlikely to be original. There are areas of lime mortar repointing or possible rebuilding along the east and north-east facing surfaces that appear fresh. The building is now used for the storage of garden and sailing equipment. The original building is of brick construction with alternating courses of stretchers and headers (English bond) with a total of 28 courses visible. The bricks themselves are handmade, soft in texture, mainly orange red in colour with some darker red and purple red examples, with very few inclusions. Brick dimensions were c.225mm (length) by c.110mm (width) by c.62mm (height) which makes them very slightly shorter and thinner than a standard 9” Imperial brick. These appear to have the same pointing as the majority of the structure and do not interrupt the bond or appear to be cut in so could be original, although the bricks chosen for the edge and mullions do seem to be slightly paler than the surrounding brickwork (S2).