Finally gotten around to posting this -
Took a trip to Cocking last month to find the well known Limeworks in the area, aided by my good friend googlemaps.
The Limeworks have been in operation for centuries, allegedly the earliest report of there being a quarry on-site is in 1706.
The six kilns that exist onsite today were most likely built in the 1920's, replacing older "wooden flare kilns".
An interesting tidbit of history for these limeworks were that apparently residents of Cocking Village would regularly complain about the explosives used in the quarrying since 1940, citing broken windows and cracked ceilings!
The limeworks closed for the final time in 1999.
People don't usually do this but allow me to take you on a journey from the top of the limeworks to the bottom.
The lime crusher. This is located at the most elevated part of the site, overlooking the lime kilns.
The iconic shot that you'll see in every post. We have traveled down from the lime crusher, following the conveyor belt into the first building. Here the lime is split onto separate conveyor belts.
The remains of the motor system for the conveyor belt. Despite the mounds of lime dust coating everything, the cogs are still lubricated enough to move quite freely!
Most of the motors have been removed, presumably salvaged by visitors to sell on. As wide a shot as I could get with my lens - Promise I'll do better next time!
Looking up the conveyor belt to the next building.
Looking out from the first building to the inacessible second building, which has a two conveyor belts leading into it as well as a now destroyed walkway and broken stairway.
This is the only remaining access to the second building - little more than a two storey shed, it is completely unsafe and all entrances are inaccessible apart from this one, which was also far too dangerous to attempt.
Heading to the bottom of the hill from the first building, we come across the loading warehouse and the base of the kilns. Here is an abandoned truck left next to the kilns. I did not get a picture of the top of the kilns but you can check plenty of the other posts to see that.
The side of one of the kilns.
The base of a kiln.
A number of limescaley stalactites have formed in the base of each kiln.
And that's it. There is not a lot more to see on the site, there is a vast warehouse where the lime would have been directly dropped into trucks and a burnt outhouse off to the side. It's a nifty little explore, very easy access and interesting to see the workings of a limeworks, as long as you don't mind the massive accumulation of limedust!
Obviously take care on this one because it is in poor shape and probably won't be in any surviving state within 10 years due to the very basic construction materials used, Happy exploring!
Took a trip to Cocking last month to find the well known Limeworks in the area, aided by my good friend googlemaps.
The Limeworks have been in operation for centuries, allegedly the earliest report of there being a quarry on-site is in 1706.
The six kilns that exist onsite today were most likely built in the 1920's, replacing older "wooden flare kilns".
An interesting tidbit of history for these limeworks were that apparently residents of Cocking Village would regularly complain about the explosives used in the quarrying since 1940, citing broken windows and cracked ceilings!
The limeworks closed for the final time in 1999.
People don't usually do this but allow me to take you on a journey from the top of the limeworks to the bottom.
The lime crusher. This is located at the most elevated part of the site, overlooking the lime kilns.
The iconic shot that you'll see in every post. We have traveled down from the lime crusher, following the conveyor belt into the first building. Here the lime is split onto separate conveyor belts.
The remains of the motor system for the conveyor belt. Despite the mounds of lime dust coating everything, the cogs are still lubricated enough to move quite freely!
Most of the motors have been removed, presumably salvaged by visitors to sell on. As wide a shot as I could get with my lens - Promise I'll do better next time!
Looking up the conveyor belt to the next building.
Looking out from the first building to the inacessible second building, which has a two conveyor belts leading into it as well as a now destroyed walkway and broken stairway.
This is the only remaining access to the second building - little more than a two storey shed, it is completely unsafe and all entrances are inaccessible apart from this one, which was also far too dangerous to attempt.
Heading to the bottom of the hill from the first building, we come across the loading warehouse and the base of the kilns. Here is an abandoned truck left next to the kilns. I did not get a picture of the top of the kilns but you can check plenty of the other posts to see that.
The side of one of the kilns.
The base of a kiln.
A number of limescaley stalactites have formed in the base of each kiln.
And that's it. There is not a lot more to see on the site, there is a vast warehouse where the lime would have been directly dropped into trucks and a burnt outhouse off to the side. It's a nifty little explore, very easy access and interesting to see the workings of a limeworks, as long as you don't mind the massive accumulation of limedust!
Obviously take care on this one because it is in poor shape and probably won't be in any surviving state within 10 years due to the very basic construction materials used, Happy exploring!
I've got a couple other sites I'll be checking out down Chichester way over the Christmas period, should be good.
