Hidden away, just off the Old Mediaeval Road, and now home to badgers and a family of owls; the site of the Old Quarry and the Lime Kiln in its basin were another Project tackled by The Friends Study Group.

The Old Quarry was originally created to cut stone for Markenfield Hall itself, leaving only a short distance to transport the stone up the hill to the site of the house. Over the years the area had been used as an impromptu site for tipping rubbish and once again the Junior Soldiers were called in to help clear the rubbish and debris that had accumulated. This they did in November 2010, as well as removing a number of “alien” trees that had been identified by the Hall’s Gardener Giles Gilby.

Following the clearance, further excavation of the two eyes of the kiln took place prior to the surveying and recording of the kiln by Dr David Johnson – an expert in the field.

On the advice of David Johnson, once surveyed, the bowl of the Kiln was lined with visquine and back-filled with cobbles in order to preserve it’s crumbling surface – small trees had begun to grow in the soil between the stones, and although treated to kill them off, the roots had already begun to cause damage. It was considered best to consolidate and preserve what remained as opposed to trying to reconstruct it.

And so the area has returned, if not to its former glory, then at least to a home for the badgers and the owls – and is now devoid of the farm rubbish that once shared their home.

Please click HERE to view a copy of Dr Johnson’s report. The report is titled: Markenfield Lime Kiln – Data Structure Report compiled by Dr David Johnson for The Friends of Markenfield. March 2011.

The Quarry is in the midst of Markenfield’s farmland, and therefore unfortunately not accessible to the general public.