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Bonshaw Tile Works is a tile manufacturing site situated northwest of Bonshawside in the parish of Kirtlebridge, Dumfriesshire. The works are protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The location was strategically chosen for its underlying geology: the Bashkirian-period Yoredale Group bedrock comprises interbedded limestone, argillaceous rocks and subordinate sandstone, which provided essential clay deposits for tile production.
Tile works of this type typically exploited local clay deposits to supply building materials for domestic and agricultural construction across the surrounding region. The Yoredale Group's argillaceous rocks, formed during the Carboniferous period, would have yielded the clay necessary for manufacturing roof tiles, wall tiles and other ceramic products. This geological foundation made the Bonshaw site economically viable for tile manufacture during the period when rural tile works were established across southern Scotland.
The monument survives as evidence of localised industrial activity dependent on direct access to raw materials. Such works were common in areas with suitable clay deposits and modest local demand for building materials, representing an important but often ephemeral stage in Scotland's industrial development. The scheduled monument status reflects the archaeological value of the site in understanding rural manufacturing practices and the exploitation of local geology.
Bonshaw Tile Works, NW of Bonshawside, Kirtlebridge is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7554. View the official record →
Bonshaw Tile Works is a tile manufacturing site situated northwest of Bonshawside in the parish of Kirtlebridge, Dumfriesshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7554.
Bonshaw Tile Works, NW of Bonshawside, Kirtlebridge is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM7554.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Woodhead,enclosure 200m NE of (5.1 km), Blacketlees Cottages, enclosure 75m SSW of (5.6 km), Calvertsholm, settlement 110m N of (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bonshaw Tile Works, NW of Bonshawside, Kirtlebridge's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bonshaw Tile Works, NW of Bonshawside, Kirtlebridge stands on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, argillaceous rocks and subordinate sandstone, interbedded.