Disused kiln near 29 Bannfield Rd, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5HG

This is a well-preserved lime burning kiln, likely dating from between 1820 and 1839. It is situated on a westerly slope in a field near 29 Bannfield Road, Rathfriland, Newry, County Down. Constructed of unmortared rounded granite boulders, the kiln reaches a maximum height of 3 metres. A roughly 7-metre long stone-faced ramp, built to compensate for the slope, provides access for loading the kiln’s 2.2-metre diameter pot. The drawhole opening, facing west, has dimensions of 1.25 metres wide by 2.0 metres high, with a granite lintel and jambs formed of large, squared blocks. The opening steps down in three stages, narrowing inwards to the drawhole. The kiln appears to have been in use by 1859, as it is depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of that year, although it was not shown on the 1902 edition but was present on the 1919 map; its absence on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map could be due to inaccuracy in that earlier survey. The structure is currently used for rural industry purposes. While of industrial archaeological interest, it is not considered of sufficient group value to warrant statutory listing.