Description and History of Site:-
This is an area extending along the county boundary with Lancashire 700m x 400m on the north-west facing slopes of the moor where in the past extensive hushing was carried out to flush limestone cobbles out of the glacial till deposits that are plastered against the northern edge of the South Pennines. water was channeled to loosen the cobbles. Within this area the remains of 17 small and crude lime kilns are visible in varying states of decay, some with relict stonework, others with burnt lime visible, others showing now just as a tell-tale mound. The hushes vary in scale from shallow and low-gradient channels to deep hushes.

Hushing in Yorkshire and n.e. Lancashire is recorded from the sixteenth century, though may well be even older in origin, and only died out with the coming of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the opening up of quarries in the Lothersdale area.

Further Reading and References:-
Johnson.D. 'Hushes, delfs and river stonary: alternative methods of obtaining lime in the gritstone Pennines in the early modern period' Landscape History 31, pp. 37-52

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Key Words :- hushing limestone cobbles lime burning

Viewing the Site :- Open Access land

Address :- n/a, Ickornshaw, Keighley, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SD 955 405
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.860701 , Long -2.069904
Local Authority :- Craven District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Earthworks only
Site Dates :- unknown - unknown
Record Date :- 24 January 2018

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson