Lime kiln, near 23 Rathcunningham Road, Rathcunningham, Killyleagh, Co. Down, BT30 9PE

A disused lime kiln, dating approximately from the period 1820 to 1839, is located near 23 Rathcunningham Road, Rathcunningham, Killyleagh, County Down, close to the shore of Strangford Lough. The kiln is built into a bank faced with rubble and is situated approximately 1.5 miles north of Killyleagh. The top of the bank, where limestone would have been loaded, is now overgrown. A semicircular headed arch, where the lime was extracted after firing, is visible on the bank’s face. This arch is lined with rubble and brick voussoirs but is partially filled with debris. Farm outbuildings are located south of the bank, and a small jetty extends to the lough shore to the east. Farm buildings and a house were depicted on Ordnance Survey maps of 1834 and 1859, but it is not certain whether a lime kiln existed on the site at those times. The inclusion of brick in the arched recess suggests a possible late 19th-century structure, although it may instead indicate a partial rebuilding or repair of an earlier kiln. The farm complex was associated with a James Harper in 1861. The kiln is recorded as derelict and is considered to be of industrial archaeological interest.