General Study of The Llanymynech Limeworks Heritage Area
Now you have finished your tour of Llanymynech Limeworks Heritage Area you should be
able to answer most of these questions:
a) Why did a lime industry grow up at Llanymynech?
b) What was life like for workers in the lime industry?
c) What should the area be like in the future?
1. Sculpture by the entrance
This sculpture tells the story of Llanymynech.
Drawing courtesy of Brian Scoggins
Mark on it with letters (A – E) these episodes in the story of the village:
The creation of the hill millions of years ago from the shells of dead sea creatures
(A)

The arrival of the Romans 1st Century AD (B)

The Hoffman Lime Kiln built in 1900 (C)

The building of the Shropshire Union Canal 1786 (D)

The re-building of St. Agatha’s church in 1843 (E)
2. Quarry
Was this rock face man made or natural?
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How can you tell?
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Limestone is made from the shells of sea creatures that died millions of years ago.
What does that tell you about Llanymynech millions of years ago?
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Use this space to draw one of these creatures
Limestone is the name of the rock that can be taken (or quarried) from hillsides.
Limestone can be used for lots of different purposes. It can also be burnt to produce
quicklime.
Here is a list of just a few of the things that lime (limestone and quicklime) can be used
for. It was far more widely used in the past.
Tick the things that you think limestone is still commonly used for now.
Uses of lime
With other things to make tooth paste
past now

To throw at enemy soldiers to blind them

To use as a building material

To spread on the land to improve it for growing crops 
With other things to make baby powder

To destroy dead bodies of plague victims

3. Inclined plane and brake drum house
Here is a picture of a restored inclined plane at Blists Hill, near Ironbridge.
Look at the diagram of the inclined plane at Llanymynech. The operator of the brake drum
would have stood at (B)
Drawing courtesy of Brian Scoggins
Complete these sentences
B would have been a good place for the operator to stand because
__________________________________________________
A would have been a bad place for the operator to stand because
__________________________________________________
C would have been a bad place for the operator to stand because
__________________________________________________
4. Dangers when working on the tramways
The inclined plane and the tramways could be dangerous places to work. Workers were
expected to look after themselves. Today employers try to keep their workers safe by
doing a Risk Assessment. They do this by looking at the possible dangers and how likely it
is that the workers could be affected by these dangers. Try this yourself by using a
scoring system
A. LEVEL OF DANGER
Could kill
Could cause serious injury
Could cause minor injury
Score
10
6
4
B. LIKELY TO HAPPEN
Very likely/probable
Fairly likely/possible
Not very likely/occasional
Unlikely/unusual
Score
10
6
4
2
To assess the level of risk multiply the ‘Danger’ score (A) by the ‘Likely’ score (B). The
higher the risk assessment score, the higher is the threat to a worker’s safety. Do a risk
assessment using this table. The first one has been done for you.
Danger
Danger
level
Score
A
How
likely
Score
B
Risk
Assessment
(A x B)
20
EXAMPLE 1. Being hit by a
kill
10
unlikely
2
runaway wagon
2. Being caught up in the brake
drum cable
3. Being hit by limestone falling
from a wagon
4. Tripping on the rails or
slipping on the sleepers
5. Falling off a wagon while
riding down on it
6. Pinching fingers in wagon
couplings
The biggest threat to a worker’s safety (highest risk assessment score) was:
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The smallest threat to a worker’s safety (lowest risk assessment score) was:
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There were in fact no risk assessments in Victorian times. If there had been, what three
ways of improving the safety of workers on the inclined planes and the tramways might you
have suggested?
1.
2.
3.
5. View from between Quarry face and winding drum
Draw a line from the names of the places and buildings to where they are in the picture
Criggion quarry
River Vyrnwy
Drawing courtesy of Brian Scoggins
Limekiln chimney
Crossroads in village
Church tower
Why do you think a canal, and so many railways, were built in the area you can see in front
of you?
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Draw in any other features that interest you and try to name them.
6. Tunnels under the road
There were at one time two owners who owned two quarries and two tramways that led to
two loading places on the canal. Where else can you see something showing there were two
owners?
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Steam engines (locomotives) were not used on this tramway to pull or push the trucks.
Here are some suggestions why not: – write “true” or “false” next to each reason.
Reason
True or
false
Locomotives couldn’t fit through the
tunnels
Smoke from locomotives would add to
global warming
Steam locomotives would frighten local
sheep
The owners used horse or donkey and
human power as they were cheaper
7. Tally Hut
Why was this hut such a busy place?
The quarry gangs who blasted the rock and took it down the tramways were paid “piece
rate”. That is, they were paid by how much stone they carried - the more stone, the higher
their wages. There were advantages and disadvantages to the worker of this. What were
they?
ADVANTAGES OF PIECE WORK
DISADVANTAGES OF PIECE
WORK
8. Tramways/Railway sidings etc
This area of the site was a confusing one. Railways used wide rails whilst tramways used
narrow rails. They were there to carry coal in, limestone in and out, and quicklime out.
The remains of tramways and railways may be indicated where you find:
 Man made banking and cuttings
 Neat stonework
 Level or gently sloping ground
 Firm surfaces
NOTE – the stream and pond were not there when the tramways were in use
On the map (below) you were standing in the dotted box marked ‘YOU ARE HERE’
Mark in:
i) The main railway siding
ii) The tramways
iii) Two bridges that are no longer there
9. The Hoffman Lime Kiln
Look at this picture which tries to reconstruct what it was like when the kiln was in use

Where is the coal fed in? Mark an arrow and coal in on the diagram.

Where is the limestone taken in? Mark an arrow and limestone in on the diagram.

Where is the burnt quicklime taken out? Mark an arrow and quicklime out on the
diagram.

Where is air drawn into the kiln to help fan the fire? Mark an arrow and air in on
the diagram.

Where does the smoke come out? Mark an arrow and smoke out on the diagram.
10. Jobs in the Limeworks
Read all the job descriptions below and decide
A. How unpleasant or unpleasant each job was
B. How much skill was needed to do the job
Mark an x on the line. The first one is done for you as an example
Tally Man – He recorded the weights of the wagons coming down the hill from the quarry
and wrote it into a ledger (record book). He had his own brick hut with a fireplace.
Unpleasant-----------------------x-Pleasant No skill--------------x-------A lot of skill
Kiln fireman – He controlled the fire from the roof by trickling coal through holes in it. He
had to adjust the draught of the kiln to burn rock at the rate of 1 foot every 4 hours. It
was important to get the rate right to make sure the lime was any use.
Unpleasant--------------------------Pleasant No skill------------------------A lot of skill
Foreman – His job was making sure the whole operation ran smoothly. He had to make sure
that of the 14 kiln chambers one was always empty, two burning, two cooling and one being
emptied. He also supervised loading at the wharf.
Unpleasant--------------------------Pleasant
No skill------------------------A lot of skill
Unloaders –They checked the quality of the quicklime. They didn’t wear masks or goggles
and had to wear lots of clothing to protect them from the very high heat (1000 degrees).
When they sweated, steam and gases rose up and burnt their throat and eyes. The lime
irritated their skin. They were paid more than kiln loaders.
Unpleasant--------------------------Pleasant No skill------------------------A lot of skill
Labourers – They did lots of different jobs. They pushed coal wagons to the site, laid
temporary track into the kiln, removed ash from the kiln, coupled wagons up, took empty
wagons to the bottom of the incline and broke rocks on the wharf ready to put onto
barges.
Unpleasant--------------------------Pleasant No skill------------------------A lot of skill
Who had the most unpleasant job?
_____________________________
Who had the most pleasant job?
_____________________________
Who had the least skilled job?
_____________________________
Who had the most skilled job?
_____________________________
Which job would you want to do?
Explain why
_____________________________
11. Canal Wharf
Here is a picture of John Roberts, the limeworks foreman, in the wharf area.
See if you can work out where he was standing.
What kind of impression do you think he is trying to make for the photograph?
Clues: Look at what he’s wearing, what he’s carrying, how he’s standing etc
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Limestone is very heavy. Quicklime is lighter but dangerous when wet
Complete these sentences:
Canal transport was good for the lime industry because……
______________________________________________________________
Canal transport was unsuitable for the lime industry because…..
______________________________________________________________
12. A view of the limeworks, taken in 1915, just after it closed
Look at the photo below
There are lots photos of the village of Llanymynech but only this one of the lime works.
Why do you think this is?
How is the scene different from today? Clue: think about both buildings and nature.
How is it similar to today?
Now that you have seen the area
Do you think it should be allowed to return to nature?
OR
Do you think it should be made to look like it did in 1901 when the Limeworks was very
busy?
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What ideas do you have for what might be done now?
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13 Conclusions
“People would have been happy to work in the lime Kiln industry at Llanymynech”
STRONGLY AGREE
AGREE
DISAGREE
STRONGLY DISAGREE
Explain your answer. (Bear in mind that some other jobs in the area, like working on farms,
were poorly paid with long hours of work).
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Why was there a lime industry at Llanymynech?
Put these reasons in order of importance by putting a number next to each with 1 being
most important and 5 being least important.
Millions of years ago, limestone was made out of the shells of dead sea creatures
It was easy to transport limestone by canal and railway to other places in the country
People didn’t have to be paid much to work in the lime industry
New technology like the Hoffman kiln made it quicker and easier to produce lime
Lime was used for many different purposes
Explain why you have selected the reasons for number 1 and number 5
Most
important
reason (1)
I think this is the most important reason because
Least
important
reason (5)
I think this is the least important reason because