Limekiln Dunure

A large, early 19th century, stone two-draw limekiln built into the gradient of a steep bank between the coast and Castle Road, the main road through Dunure Village. The three visible sides of the kiln are built with a batter in random rubble with large rough-hewn quoins to the corners. The northwest elevation has two segmental arched openings at ground level which both have inner arches and vent holes. There are some small areas of brick repairs to the side walls at high level and a later rounded cope and small railing has been built around the top of the wall.

Historical development

This large kiln with paired single-draw kilns is situated above the harbour at Dunure, with the top at the level of and adjacent to the former coastal road from Ayr to Girvan. The double kiln first appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey Map (surveyed 1856, published 1858) and is also shown on the subsequent 1894 and 1908 maps.

The local Kennedy family estate built Dunure Harbour and its lighthouse in 1832 (Ordnance Survey Name Books). The harbour was built to land coal to serve the estate and wider area but its depth proved unsuccessful for the purpose and the lighthouse was never lit. The limekiln is thought to have been built in the early 19th century by the Kennedy's around the same time, or possibly just before, in order to supply lime for the harbour construction. The kiln is a "draw kiln” type which were typically constructed against the sloping ground, with draw openings on the front face where the lime was collected at the end of the limestone burning process. The scale of the kilns also suggests that they were intended for long term use.

The lush pastures of Ayrshire were ideal for dairy farming however this type of land use removed calcium from the soil and created a subsequent demand for lime for agricultural purposes to help fertilise and counteract the natural acidity of the local soils.

Historical research does not confirm whether the kilns were built to produce lime for use in the harbour construction, lime for agricultural purposes on the estate, or for general commercial lime production. There is little or no evidence to suggest the kilns were in long term use and local knowledge suggests they may never have been lit.

In the earlier 20th century a building was built on top of the kiln and used as a shop. A small gabled section (shown in a Canmore photograph from around 1970) was replaced with the larger pitched roof extension in the later 20th century and the whole building was converted to a dwelling.