Sheepfold Lime Works

Burleigh and Thompson's 1737 'Plan of the mouth of the River Wear' shows a battery of lime kilns and an associated slipway. Lime kilns are also shown on Raine's Ete Plan of 1790, linked to the turnpike road by a track up the bank on a steep gradient. This was later replaced by a waggonway from Fulwell Quarry (HER 2692), first shown on Robson's map of 1827. Sheepfold Lime Works are shown on the OS first edition map of 1855. They remained in use until the late 19th century and were demolished in the early 20th. There are no surviving remains, but there is evidence of localised quarrying along the adjacent escarpment. Lime was used as an agricultural fertiliser and was the main component of lime mortar. The lime quarries at Monkweearmouth were first leased by the Dean and Chapter of Durham to the Williamson family in 1714. Over the following one hundred years large batteries of kilns were built at both Sheepfolds and Carley Hill.