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Maesdulais Limekilns is a post-medieval and modern industrial monument in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference CM272. The site exploited the natural geology of the area, where Dinantian limestone of Mississippian age forms the bedrock. This sedimentary sequence, dominated by limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks, provided both the raw material for lime production and the solid foundation upon which the kilns were constructed.
Limekilns of this period were essential infrastructure for agriculture and building. The limestone bedrock would have been quarried locally and burned at high temperature in the kiln structures to produce quicklime, which was then slaked with water to create slaked lime. This material was spread on acidic soils to improve fertility or used in mortar and plaster for construction. The location at Maesdulais, situated directly above suitable limestone deposits, made it an economically viable site for such industrial activity.
The kilns represent the industrial heritage of rural Wales during the post-medieval period and beyond. Though now relics, they stand as evidence of the intensive, landscape-scale extraction and processing of mineral resources that characterised Welsh industry well into the modern era. The site preserves material remains of techniques and practices that were commonplace across upland and rural Britain before the advent of modern agricultural and chemical industries.
Maesdulais Limekilns is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM272. View the official record →
Maesdulais Limekilns is a post-medieval and modern industrial monument in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference CM272.
Maesdulais Limekilns dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a limekiln. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Maesdulais Limekilns is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CM272.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Odyn Jac Limekilns (1.7 km), Garnbwll Limekiln (2.1 km), Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu (2.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maesdulais Limekilns'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.
Maesdulais Limekilns stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.