Calcining Kilns

The calcining kilns, built around 1856 for the Rosedale Mining Company, are located at Spaunton Bank Top. They are made of roughly squared stone faced with rusticated stone, with the interiors lined with red and cream bricks. The original bank consists of four kilns, which were later extended by an additional four kilns. The openings of the earlier kilns feature narrow, round-headed arches made of rusticated voussoirs set on rusticated piers. To the right, the later kilns have wider, semicircular arches constructed in a similar rusticated stone style. The back wall of the earlier kilns remains, made of rubble with flat coping stones on top. Although the kilns have largely collapsed, sections of the lining bricks can still be seen behind the stone arches, and no metal parts survive.

These kilns were built in connection with the ironstone mine established in 1856 on the west side of Rosedale, near Hollins Farm. They were strategically located close to the Bank Top terminus of the North Eastern Railway's Rosedale Branchline, which was completed in 1861. Ore was transported from the mine to the railway terminus using rope-hauled wagons along a tramway, where it was tipped into the kilns from above. The ore was then roasted to remove water and carbonic acid, thereby reducing its weight for further transportation to County Durham and Teeside. The mine operated with two temporary closures in 1874 and 1879, continuing until 1885. In 1864, the company changed its name to the Rosedale and Ferryhill Iron Company Ltd, and after the second closure, a new company called The West Rosedale Mine Company was formed.