In January 1987 villager Ambrose Johnson recalled his memories of
lime kilns in Tytherington when giving a talk to the Local History
Group:- Well it's pretty obvious that in Tytherington never
underestimate our forefathers - by golly they had it there and they
realised that as they were cultivating the land it had to be purified.
They were putting muck in and it would get sour so they had to do
something about it, and so what happened? Tytherington had
limestone so you burnt lime or you burnt stone to get lime. Well
now I know about four (limekilns) in Tytherington or where there
has been four, although Ted Oakey thinks there were seven. Well
you will see one under Tytherington Hill which is nearly hit to pieces (now
restored) there was one going up Stowell Hill towards the Vicarage,
there was one on Itchington Field, there was one in Mr Matthews field up
towards the slope of Baden Hill and I believe there is quite a strong
possibility there was one up the New Road where you'll see a dip by
Ernest Matthew's sheds in there in the wood. So lime and stone was
being burnt in Tytherington, and that was making lime for purifying the
land so the seasons could go on. So that was the start.
Frank Pitt told me that in the records of the Church there was something
about a sailor being found along by the limekiln in Tytherington in the
middle of the 17th century. Well it's obvious that lime kilns go
way back. |