Details

The monument includes a 19th century quay and lime kiln together with the
standing and buried remains of associated buildings and the wreck of a
contemporary cargo vessel, situated at the extreme western end of Hamford
Water, 6km inland from Walton on the Naze.

Beaumont Quay, along with other small wharfs situated in the creeks of Hamford
Water, was a centre for a busy coastal trade during the early 19th century. To
take advantage of this flourishing trade a quay was built at Beaumont in 1832
at the head of a Beaumont Cut (a straight deep man-made channel for barges to
sail up avoiding the naturally winding Landermere Creek). The owners of the
quay were Guy's Hospital in Southwark, London, who had acquired it as part of
the Beaumont Estate in the 17th century; the tenant who occupied Beaumont Hall
also rented the quay. The quay was built using stones taken from Old London
Bridge, which was being demolished at that time. Further buildings were soon
constructed, including storehouses and, in 1869, a large lime kiln.

The quay is 80m long in total, built along the northern bank of the Cut in a
straight line, except at the eastern end where it was altered to curve around
the later lime kiln. Its construction is mostly in timber except at the
western end which is in stone. The timber section takes the form of a vertical
plank revetment held in place by large horizontal timbers. The stone part of
the quay is constructed of massive blocks laid in four courses forming a
frontage 25.7m long and standing between 1.3m and 1.5m above the creek base.
The blocks are unmortared but many are held together by iron staples. Behind
the quay revetment and running its full length is a level earthen strip, 6m
wide, forming the quayside where goods were loaded and unloaded; its northern
edge is defined by a slight scarp 0.6m high. To the south west of the quay
frontage are the timber remains of a sluice, which linked the end of Beaumont
Cut with Landermere Creek, and some driven stakes which represent the remains
of a footbridge structure. Also included in the scheduling is the wreck of the
`Rose', a swim barge spritsail of carvel construction built by John Howard
of Maldon and launched in September 1880 and now located at the head of the
creek.

The lime kiln represents a local attempt to exploit the huge demand for lime
for agricultural use in the 19th century. It is a circular structure in red
brick contained within an earthen mound. The mound itself measures 12.6m in
diameter and stands 2.5m high. The kiln floor is sunk a further 0.5m below
ground level and is reached via a flight of four steps and a short open
passage. The interior of the kiln comprises a round, barrel-vaulted
circulation passage, 1.55m wide and 2.25m high, around the central pedestal of
the combustion chamber or pot. A small rectangular opening on its northern
side is probably a ventilator allowing regulation of the draught to the kiln.
The pedestal of the pot has three openings in addition to its entrance; these
were used for setting the fire, raking off the ash and removing the finished
lime. The internal base of the pot is 1.45m wide flaring upward through the
mound to an open top 2.2m in diameter. The kiln design (a mixed feed type in
which the pot was filled with alternate layers of limestone and coal or
anthracite dust) would have enabled continuous re-charging and firing for a
long period of time, during which ash and lime were periodically drawn off.
Adjacent to the kiln is the store building, the last standing structure from a
group which orignally included a large two-storey arcaded store. The remaining
structure is single-storied and rectangular, measuring 10m long and 5.4m wide,
constructed in red brick; the shallow pitched roof is hipped at both ends and
covered with slates. The building has no windows and only a single door in its
western wall. A further unusual feature, possibly connected with the store's
proximity to the lime kiln, is the substantial buttressing along the northern
wall and two-thirds of the eastern wall. Internally the plank floor is raised
and at its northern end the store is divided into two bays.

The quay and lime kiln at Beaumont flourished during the 19th century with
barges bringing in cargoes of coal and chalk (some of which went to fuel and
provide the raw material for the lime kiln), manure, building materials and
agricultural produce. By the early years of the 20th century however, trade
had declined, the limekiln ceased production and by 1921 the quay was out of
use.

All modern fencelines are excluded from the scheduling, although the
ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Limestone or chalk has been the basic ingredient for lime mortar from at
least Roman times. Since the medieval period, lime has also been used as
agricultural fertiliser and, since the early 19th century, widely used in
a variety of other industries: as a flux in blast furnaces, in the
production of gas and oil, and in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food
industries.
The lime industry is defined as the processes of preparing and producing
lime by burning and slaking. The basic raw material for producing lime is
limestone or chalk: when burnt at high temperature (roasted or calcined),
these rocks release carbon dioxide, leaving `quicklime' which, by chemical
reaction when mixed with water (`slaking'), can be turned into a stable
powder - lime. Lime burning sites varied in scale from individual small
lime kilns adjacent to a quarry, to large-scale works designed to operate
commercially for an extended market and often associated with long
distance water or rail transport. Lime burning as an industry displays
well-developed regional characteristics, borne out by the regional styles
of East Anglia, West Gloucestershire or Derbyshire.
The form of kilns used for lime burning evolved throughout the history of
the industry, from small intermittent clamp and flare kilns, to large
continuously fired draw kilns that could satisfy increased demand from
urban development, industrial growth and agricultural improvement.
Small-scale rural lime production continued in the later 19th and 20th
centuries, but this period of the industry is mainly characterised by
large-scale production and the transfer of technologies from the cement
and other industries. The demand for mortars grew steadily during the 19th
and 20th centuries. The successful production of mortars made with
artificial cement represented an economic challenge to lime production and
gradually replaced the use of lime mortars in major construction and
engineering projects.
From a highly selective sample made at national level, around 200 lime
industry sites have been defined as being of national importance. These
have been defined to represent the industry's chronological depth,
technological breadth and regional diversity.

At Beaumont Quay the remains of the 19th century quay are combined with
those of a largely intact lime kiln as well as a store building. The lime
kiln is also a rare example of an East Anglian form, surviving in very
good condition, and is the only one of its type (mixed feed) to survive in
this area. Archaeological deposits sealed below ground in the quayside
area, and in and around Beaumont Cut generally, will contain structural,
artefactual and environmental evidence relating to the operations of the
quay and the contemporary appearance of its surroundings. It represents a
rare survival of a complex of contemporary features which has been largely
unaltered since it was abandoned in the early 20th century. The quay
itself, the remains of the sailing barge, the associated store where the
traded goods would have been stowed away and the lime kiln representing
associated industrial enterprise together give vivid testimony to the
nature and scale of the quayside activities.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
ECC Planning Dept., , Essex Limekilns: A Survey, (1995)
ECC Planning Dept., , Essex Limekilns: A Survey, (1995)
Gibson, S, Gould, S, Essex Limekilns: A Survey, (1996)
Nash, J, Beaumont Quay, (1950)
Nash, J, Beaumont Quay, (1950)
Nash, J, Beaumont Quay, (1950)
Sams, M, Threat to historic quay from ravages of time, (1991)
Sams, M, Threat to historic quay from ravages of time, (1991)
Sams, M, Threat to historic quay from ravages of time, (1991)
Sams, M, Threat to historic quay from ravages of time, (1991)
Sams, M, Threat to historic quay from ravages of time, (1991)
Other
Archaeological Field Survey Report, Pattison, Paul , Beaumont Quay, Beaumont-cum-Moze, Essex, (1996)
Archaeological Field Survey Report, Pattison, Paul , Beaumont Quay, Beaumont-cum-Moze, Essex, (1996)
Archaeological Field Survey Report, Pattison, Paul , Beaumont Quay, Beaumont-cum-Moze, Essex, (1996)
Colour print, Strachan, D, CP/98/15/13, (1998)
In Essex SMR (copies), Unknown, Beaumont Quay, (1910)
In Essex SMR (copies), Unknown, Beaumont Quay, (1910)
In Essex SMR (copies), Unknown, Beaumont Quay, (1910)
In Essex SMR, Leech, T, Archaeological survey of Beaumont Quay, Landermere Creek......., (1994)
In Essex SMR, Leech, T, Archaeological survey of Beaumont Quay, Landermere Creek......., (1994)
In Essex SMR, Leech, T, Archaeological survey of Beaumont Quay, Landermere Creek......., (1994)
In Essex SMR, Leech, T, Archaeological survey of Beaumont Quay, Landermere Creek......., (1994)
In Essex SMR, Leech, T, Archaeological survey of Beaumont Quay, Landermere Creek......., (1994)
In Essex SMR, Strachan, D, CP/98/15/13, (1998)
Title: D/CT 23 Beaumont-cum-Moze Tithe Map and Award
Source Date: 1838
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: D/CT 23 Beaumont-cum-Moze Tithe Map and Award
Source Date: 1838
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
In Essex Record Office
Title: D/CT 23 Beaumont-cum-Moze Tithe Map and Award
Source Date: 1838
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
In Essex Record Office

Source: Historic England