1924 BPCM Plant Schedule

A survey of the equipment of APCM and BPCM was performed in 1924, and subsequently revised. This was no doubt initiated as part of the failed takeover by Henry Horne, and the subsequent Boardroom coup d'état. In some respects, it reads like a "due diligence" document. The data gathered were used to decide upon numerous plant closures that took place in the following ten years. Of the 41 sites listed, all are now gone, the longest-lasting being Shoreham, which closed in 1991, while 26 closed before the end of the 1920s. The APCM and BPCM pages are now complete but require annotation.

The text of the survey was kindly contributed by Chris Down (Note 1).

Data are given in a standardised format for each plant, including lime and whiting plants. I have rendered the document as-is except for correcting a few spellings and illiteracies. A particular feature is that dimensions given are (almost) invariably in feet and inches, although much of the plant described was metric. These data are mostly inaccurate to varying degrees - often considerably so. One can only speculate why this is so. One suspects that the returns were compiled by non-technical people. Many plants probably did not employ anyone who could be described as "technical". But the errors may also be deliberate disinformation.

Annotations for this page are still under construction, as is the APCM page and a page summarising the data.

The BPCM plants were as follows. Plants that survived beyond 1945 are in bold.

AfonwenJohnsonsPeters Lime
Artillery & AlbionLeesPremier
BartonLees LimeRed Lion
BeddingtonLees WhitingSaxon
Blows Down LimeMagheramorneSewell Lime
Blows Down WhitingMagheramorne LimeShoreham
Bridgend LimeMagheramorne WhitingStoneferry
Burghclere LimeMartin EarlesSundon
Buriton LimeNew Globe WhitingSundon Lime
CouslandNewhavenTolhursts Whiting
FalconNormanWeekes
HarefieldPenarthWest Kent
HumberPenarth LimeWilmington
JarrowPetersWouldham

Artillery and Albion plants were probably operated briefly during the post-war boom, and in the panic during the upgrading shut-down of Bevans. However, closure followed immediately, and the plants were already half-demolished by 1924.

Artillery & Albion

Registered Capacity :— 500 T/week (1914)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk ex Stone Court Co.
  • Medway clay.

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold to Stone Court Co.

Rent of Property :—

  • £540.

Royalties :—

  • Nil.

Loading Facilities :—

  • 1 tidal berth for s/s up to about 600 T.
  • 2 tidal berths for barges.
  • Rail through Stone Court Co.

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Dartford, SE Section, Southern Railway.

Siding :—

  • Stone Court Co's private siding in connection with both.

These Works are largely demolished but the following plant is still on site.

Artillery

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 1 Preliminary Washmill 18' diameter
  • 1 Intermediate Washmill 15' diameter
  • 2 Clarke's Finishing Mills 5'3" diameter
  • 1 Clarke's Finishing Mill 6'6" diameter

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 set of Jaw Crushers.
  • 2 Smidth Kominors "C"
  • 2 Smidth Tubes 20' × 5'6"

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Pollitt & Wigzel Horizontal Compound Condensing Steam Engine
  • 2 Lancs. Boilers 30' × 7' at 90 psi

Albion

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Pollitt & Wigzel Horizontal Compound Condensing Steam Engine
  • 2 Lancs. Boilers 30' × 7'6" at 120 psi

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was an open warehouse.
  • Maximum capacity 3500 T
  • Working capacity 1700 T

The Falcon plant closed on 11/2/1914. Evidently some of the plant was mothballed, but was not re-started.

Barrons

Registered Capacity :— 470 T/week (1914)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk at Wakeley's land 1 mile from works
  • Medway clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • 1 tidal berth for S/S up to about 350 T
  • 3 tidal berths for barges

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Rainham (Kent), SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Nil

This works is largely dismantled, all kilns and chimneys with the exception of the boiler chimney having been demolished and sold.

The following gear which is in very poor condition and almost useless for all practical purposes is still in situ:

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 2 washmills 18' diameter
  • 1 small set of 2-throw slurry pumps

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 2 Chain & Bucket Clinker Elevators
  • 4 pairs of 4'6" Millstones
  • 1 Separator
  • 1 Smidth type Tube mill 16' × 4'0"
  • 2 Collis Mills without sieves

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was four open warehouses, total 9300 sq.ft.
  • Maximum Capacity 3,500 T
  • Working Capacity 2,500 T

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 240 H.P. Marine type Steam engine by Earles of Hull
  • 2 Lancs. Boilers 30' × 7'6" (one condemned)
  • 1 Lancs. Boiler 26' × 7'6" (very bad condition)
  • 1 3-ton Smith Crane without grab

Cooperage :—

dismantled of all useful plant but still contains:

  • 1 Erith Dryer
  • 1 Crozer machine
  • 1 Head turning machine

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 small lathe
  • 1 drilling machine

The Beddington plant was running in 1924, but the decision was made to close it at this stage, on the grounds of high production cost and lack of scope for a cost-reducing upgrade. However, the plant was used for the experimental development of white cement. Final closure was in 1933.

Beddington

Registered Capacity :— 900 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk - purchased (Note 2)
  • Clay from own pit

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Road and Rail

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Beddington Lane Halt and Mitcham Junction, Southern Railway (Brighton Section)

Siding :—

  • Two roads into washing plant to deal with chalk
  • One road for coal and gypsum
  • One road into cement warehouse and general store
  • All connected to Southern Railway branch line from West Croydon to Wimbledon.

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Chalk is purchased
  • Clay is got from a pit close to the Works whence it is hauled by a rope system to the Washmills

Uncallowing :—

  • One man employed on day work can cope with the necessary uncallowing

Outside Plant :—

  • One motor driven centrifugal pump for clay pit

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • Two roughing mills 16 sq.ft. screening area 10 H.P. each @ 20 rpm. Output 7.8 tons/hour
  • One screening mill 48 sq.ft. screening area 10 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 15.7 tons/hour
  • One wet tube mill (Jenisch & Lohnert) 19'8" × 5'7", C.I. Lining. Charge 5 tons 1" C.I. balls. 60 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 15.7 tons/hour. Fineness 4.8% on 180#
  • One centrifugal pump
  • One set 3-throw pumps
  • One Sun & Planet mixer, capacity 300 clinker tons
  • Three Triple Mixers capacity 150 clinker tons

Cement Kilns :—

  • Two Rotary Kilns (Polysius) 98'7" × 6'6" diameter inside shell. Burning Zone 20'0" long lined 9" bricks. Remainder of length lined 6" bricks.
  • Cubic capacity2401 cu. ft. (Note 3)
    Output48 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.20.0 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining1673 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.28.7 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd34.4%
    Coal consumption standard30.1%

Coal Plants :—

  • Dryer, Ruggles Coles 35'0" × 5'0" Coal fired, internally heated. Output 2 tons per hour from 10% - 4% H2O
  • One Combination Tube Mill, Edgar Allen. 24'0" × 3'10" inside diameter Lining Cast Iron. Charge 3 tons 2" Steel Balls, 2½ tons 1" C.I. Balls. H.P. 95 @ 28 rpm. Output 1¾ tons per hour. Fineness 16% on 180#
  • Two Powdered Coal Hoppers, each holding 2 tons i.e., about 2½ hours' run
  • Three Powdered Coal Silos each holding 12 tons
  • Two Raw Coal Hoppers, each holding 10 tons

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Two Ball Mills F.L. Smidth 6'4" inside diameter (Kominor B). Lining, chrome & manganese steel step plates. Charge 2 tons 3" - 2" steel balls. H.P. 45 @ 25 rpm. Output, 2½ tons per hour to 45% on 180#, 27% on 100#
  • One Tube Mill, Jenisch & Lohnert. 19'8" × 5'7" inside diameter. Lining, Fuller Metallic. Charge 7 tons 1" C.I. Balls, 120 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 5 tons per hour to 6.5% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

Flat bottomed Warehouse

  • 6500 ton maximum capacity
  • 5000 ton working capacity
  • Hand packing

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Vertical Compound steam engine by Musgrave, Bolton fitted with Musgrave valve gear. Jet Condenser and air pumps. Bore 18½ in. high pressure, 38 in. low pressure. Stroke 36 in. 90 rpm, 350 HP, Vacuum 23-24 in. Working steam pressure: 170 psi. Superheat @ engine 120° F. Main drive by ropes.
  • 1 Bellis steam engine Vertical Compound. Direct coupled to Westinghouse 3 phase Alternator 200 kW. Bore 13 in. high pressure, 22 in. low pressure. Stroke 11 in. rpm. 400 with Ledwart & Becket ejector condenser.
  • 1 Air Compressor by Broom & Wade. Bore 6", Stroke 7", 2 cylinders. Belt driven.
  • 1 Two drum 160 tubes Babcock & Wilcox with Chain Grate Stoker. Working pressure 175 psi. Babcock Superheater - Superheat temperature 150° F. Boiler evaporation under normal conditions 10,000 lb per hr. Softening plant - Boby system. Greens Economiser 96 tubes
  • 2 Weir feed pumps

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • One Steam heated sack drier
  • One Rotary cleaning machine (shaker)
  • One Singer Darning Machine

Fitters' Plant :—

Motor driven, consisting of :

  • One 19' × 6" centres S.C. Lathe
  • One 6' × 9" centres S.C. Lathe
  • One 8' stroke planing machine
  • One 3' stroke planing machine
  • One Drilling Machine from ¼ in to 1½"
  • One Punching and shearing machine, to shear up to ½ in
  • One 16" hack saw machine
  • One 10" double Emery Wheel
  • One 3' Grindstone
  • One Blacksmith's Forge with motor driven fan

Water :—

  • Deep well water (350 ft.) in chalk for boiler feed
  • Surface spring water for condensing purposes and washing mills
  • Sutton Water Company's supply

The lime plants at Blows Down, Burghclere, Buriton, Sewell and Sundon were the plants previously owned by Forders, which were taken over by BPCM along with the Sundon cement plant, while the brick works formed the nucleus of what became London Brick.

Blows Down Lime

Registered Capacity :— 250 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • White Chalk

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 50 years from 01/01/1895.

Rent of Property :—

  • £250 per annum

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Wharf on to railway siding 29 yards long, 7 yards wide

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Dunstable (Church Street) LNER

Siding :—

  • 320 yards double road "Blows Down" Siding, Dunstable, LNER

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Hand dug

Lime Kilns :—

  • 5 Brockham Shaft Kilns, 250 T/week including small lime, product: white lime.

Lime Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 Harrison Carter 2½ "B" type Disintegrator, output 1½ T/hr (also used for Whiting grinding)

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Horizontal non-condensing steam engine about 25 H.P. (also used for Whiting grinding)

Outside Plant :—

  • Simplex Loco

Blows Down Whiting

Registered Capacity :— ?

Raw Materials :—

  • White Chalk

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • (see under lime works)

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Wharf on to railway siding 40 yards long, 4 yards wide

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Dunstable (Church Street) LNER

Siding :—

  • 320 yards double road "Blows Down" Siding, Dunstable, LNER

Water :—

  • Well, 133 feet deep, 6 ft diameter, rather hard

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Hand dug

Washing Plant :—

  • 1 Washmill 20 ft. diameter, 4 ft. deep

Settling Vats :—

  • No.1, 28' × 13' × 3'
  • No.2, 27' × 15' × 3'
  • No.3, 30' × 14' × 3'
  • No.4, 30' × 20' × 3'
  • Nos. 5&6, 29' × 25' × 3'

Drying Floors :—

  • 1 36' × 34'
  • 3 furnaces - capacity 50 tons per week

Air Drying Sheds :—

  • 8 21 yards long, 3 yards wide
  • 2 17 yards long, 3 yards wide
  • capacity 15 tons per week

Whiting Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 Harrison Carter 2½ "B" type Disintegrator, output 1½ T/hr (also used for Lime grinding)

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Horizontal non-condensing steam engine about 25 H.P. (also used for Lime grinding)

The lime plants at Blows Down, Burghclere, Buriton, Sewell and Sundon were the plants previously owned by Forders, which were taken over by BPCM along with the Sundon cement plant, while the brick works formed the nucleus of what became London Brick.

Burghclere Lime

Registered Capacity :— 100 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk (Grey)

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 60 years from 29/09/1899 with breaks to Lessees at end of any complete 7 years or on exhaustion of the chalk

Rent of Property :—

  • £100 per annum and £33 per annum to Lessor's tenant for 11 acres land taken from him for Works purposes

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Railway siding alongside kilns

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Burghclere GWR

Siding :—

  • Forder's Siding, Burghclere, GWR

Lime Kilns :—

  • 2 Shaft Kilns, 100 T/week, product: Greystone lime, lump.

The lime plants at Blows Down, Burghclere, Buriton, Sewell and Sundon were the plants previously owned by Forders, which were taken over by BPCM along with the Sundon cement plant, while the brick works formed the nucleus of what became London Brick. Buriton was Forder's original plant.

Buriton Lime

Registered Capacity :— 240 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk (Grey & White)

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 60 years from 29/09/1899.

Rent of Property :—

  • £450 per annum

Royalties :—

  • 6d per ton of lime sold over 18,000 tons in any one year

Loading Facilities :—

  • on rail

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Petersfield, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Buriton Sidings, Petersfield, Southern Railway

Lime Kilns :—

  • 5 Shaft Kilns, 240 T/week, product: grey or white lime.

Lime Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 Harrison Carter 3½ type Disintegrator, capacity 2 T/hr

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Semi-portable loco (25 H.P.) Marshall, Gainsborough (Grinding)
  • 1 Semi-portable loco (16 H.P.) Ransomes, Ipswich (Fuel)
  • 1 Semi-portable loco (12 H.P.) Robey (Silent)
  • 1 Vertical Barrow & Stewart steam engine 4 H.P. (silent)

The Cousland plant was operational at the time of the survey, but the decision to close it followed immediately, and the plant ceased production before the end of 1924. Production costs were high, and the lack of substantial reserves precluded an upgrade.

Caledonian

Registered Capacity :— 300 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Limestone
  • Shale

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold: Lease expires 15/09/1943, with break at 1933

Rent of Property :—

  • £250 per annum and in addition compensation for land taken into Works amounts to approximately £52 per annum

Royalties :—

  • 4d per 20 cwt material raised by open cast working
  • 4d per 20 cwt material raised by mining
  • (Royalty set against rent)

Loading Facilities :—

  • by Rail and Road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Smeaton, LNER

Siding :—

  • Cousland Sidings, Smeaton, LNER

Raw Material Getting :—

The limestone and shale are both mined, the material being mixed before crushing

  • Mine: Tilghmanns Compressor and receiver, Cylinder 9", stroke 12", pressure 100 psi
  • Quarry: Tilghmanns Compressor and receiver, Cylinder 6¼", stroke 10", pressure 100 psi
  • Temporarily removed 1923

Uncallowing :—

  • None

Outside Plant :— (mine plant)

  • 1 24 H.P. Motor Haulage
  • 1 15 H.P. Motor Haulage
  • 1 12 H.P. 4" motor pump
  • 1 7 H.P. 2" motor pump
  • 1 3 H.P. 2" motor pump

Raw Material Preparation :—

After being mixed the Limestone and Shale is dealt with by the following plant and finished raw meal being carried to kiln floor for briquetting

Dryer House

  • 2 Crushers 20" × 10" by Goodwin Barsby
  • 1 R.M. Dryer: 45' × 4'6" by Edgar Allen & Co.

Raw Mills

  • 2 Kominor B, 6'4" × 4'8", Smidth
  • 1 Tube Mill 17.5, 20' × 6', Smidth with Helipebs

Brick making machine: Wootton Bros, Coalville

Cement Kilns :—

  • 4 Schneider Kilns with forced draught

Cement Grinding Plant :—

Clinker wheeled to crusher and ground through Kominor and tube mill

  • 1 Crusher 20" by Goodwin Barsby
  • 1 Kominor B, 6'4" × 4'8"
  • 1 Tube Mill 17.5, 20' × 6', flint lining, 1" C.I. balls

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was a flat-bottomed warehouse.
  • Maximum Capacity 1,800 T
  • Working Capacity 1,500 T
  • Hand packed in bags

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • No.1 horizontal compound tandem jet condensing steam engine by Musgrave & Sons, 600 H.P., cylinders 23" & 38 1/16", stroke 48", rpm 75, pressure 110 psi at engine
  • Nos 2 & 3 vertical condensing steam engine by James Howden & Co, 225 H.P., cylinders 11½" & 19", stroke 10", rpm 450, pressure 130 psi at engine
  • No.4 vertical non-condensing steam engine by Marshall & Co, 36 H.P., cylinders 13", stroke 16", rpm 120
  • 2 150 kW generators coupled to engines 2 and 3
  • 1 75 kW generators driven off either engines 1 or 4
  • 1 Lancs Boiler 30' × 7' by Marshall, and superheater by Sugden, pressure 130 psi
  • 1 Lancs Boiler and superheater by Sugden, pressure 130 psi
  • 1 Lancs Boiler 30' × 8' by Horsfield, and superheater by Sugden, pressure 130 psi
  • Economiser 120 pipes by Green

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Lathe 9" centre 16' shears
  • 1 Drill 9" travel of spindle (old)
  • 1 Hacksaw
  • 2 smith's hearth driven by 1 H.P. motor for blower
  • 1 small vertical steam engine 5 H.P.
  • 1 6 H.P. motor (500V DC)

The Jarrow plant evidently closed at the end of 1923

Cameron Swan

Registered Capacity :— 350 T/week (1921)

Raw Materials :—

  • Alkali Waste and/or Medway Chalk
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold: lease expires 04/11/1965

Rent of Property :—

  • £353 per annum

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Road and Water

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Jarrow on Tyne, LNER

Siding :—

  • Nil

These works are partially dismantled but contain the following plant as at 01/05/1924:

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 2 Washmills 15 ft. diameter, octagonal
  • 1 Tube mill, Newell, 18' × 6'6", lined with steel plates
  • 2 Air Compressors, horizontal, double acting
  • 2 Air receivers
  • 2 20' diameter concrete mixer tanks, air agitated
  • 1 single arm mixer

Cement Kilns :—

  • 1 Rotary, Newell, 120' × 7'6", 4 tyres, cradle rollers, kiln fan and Reeves speed gear
  • 1 Cooler, Newells, 50' × 3'6", 2 tyres, cradle rollers
  • 1 Slurry feed pipe
  • capacity data not supplied

Coal Plants :—

  • 1 Rotary coal dryer 30' × 4'

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 No.8 Krupp Ball Mill
  • 1 Tube Mill, Newell, 22' × 6'2", 6 longitudinal lifting bars, lined with steel strips
  • 1 20' diameter, 12' deep steel plate clinker storage tank, 130 tons with 3 feed tables
  • 1 12" × 8" Blake crusher
  • 1 Conveyor 100 ft in 10 ft lengths

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Lathe geared, 12' × 1'8" × 24" (poor condition)

The Harefield plant was operational at the time of survey, but was assessed as having insufficient reserves for an uprate, and was kept running only until the uprated Swanscombe plant started up in 1929.

Coles Shadbolt

Registered Capacity :— 500 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil.

Royalties :—

  • Nil.

Loading Facilities :—

  • Canal barges only, except for small lorries

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Denham, Great Central & Great Western joint lines, 2½ miles away

Siding :—

  • No railway siding, private dock off Grand Junction Canal

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Chalk: The chalk is won from a quarry not far from the Works. The working face is about 40 feet high and the material is milled into tip trucks, which are hauled to the Washmills by a small petrol locomotive.
  • Clay: This is dug from a pit about 200 yards from the Works and 80 feet above it. The clay is carried to the Washing plant by an Aerial Ropeway.

Uncallowing :—

  • There is about a foot to 2 feet of top soil over the Chalk. In the case of the clay, the overburden varies, but averages about three to four feet.

Outside Plant :—

  • Aerial Ropeway mechanically driven from washmill shaft
  • One 2½ ton Simplex Petrol Locomotive 20" gauge
  • Barges:
Capacity (tons)
Otter (20 H.P. Motor Boat) & Doe23 & 27
Hilda (20 H.P. Motor Boat) & Faith22 & 30
Lion (20 H.P. Motor Boat) & Bear24 & 28
Gwendoline & Two Sisters (Horse-drawn)25 & 30
Wolf (wooden)25
Doe (wooden)25
Newt (wooden)25
Fawn (wooden)25
Badger (iron)25
Kangaroo (concrete)20

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One chalk mill, 18 sq.ft. screening area, 55 H.P. @ 14 rpm. Output 20 tons per hour
  • One slurry mill, 26 sq. ft. screening area, 55 H.P. @ 20 rpm. Output 25 tons per hour
  • Seven Inclined shaking sieves 53 sq.ft. screening area
  • Two elevators: one chalk and the other finished slurry
  • Two triple mixers 125 clinker tons each, both under kiln
  • One set 3-throw Pumps

Cement Kilns :—

  • One rotary kiln, 140'0" × 7'11" and 6'11" diameters. Burning zone 30'6" × 7'11" lined 9" bricks. Remainder lined 6" and 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity4165 cu. ft.
    Output67 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.1 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining2715 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.24.8 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd42%
    Coal consumption standard31.1%

Coal Plants :—

  • Dryer: F. L. Smidth 39'6" × 4'0". Externally and internally heated by hot air from Cooler. Output 1.58 tons per hour from 13% to 4.8% H2O
  • Tube Mill: F. L. Smidth No.14 18'6" × 4'2". Lined chilled iron blocks. Charge 3½ tons 1" C.I. balls. Output 1.75 tons per hour, 16% on 180#, 45 H.P. @ 27 rpm.
  • Fine Coal Storage: Silo holding 36 tons and hopper over kiln feed screws holding 1½ ton. Total storage for 25 hours

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One ball mill F.L.S. Kominor B. 6'0" diameter × 4'6". Lined cast steel step plates. Charge 2½ tons 4"-3" steel balls. H.P. 45 @ 24 rpm Output 3½ tons per hour to 52% on 180#: 31% on 76#
  • Two tube mills F.L.S. No.14 18'6" × 4'2". Lining Quartzite blocks. Charge 5 tons 1" C.I. balls. H.P. 55 @ 26 rpm Output 2¾ tons per hour to 10% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

Flat-bottomed Stores

  • Maximum Capacity 2,780 T
  • Working Capacity 2,500 T
  • Hand packing

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 3 National Single Cylinder Horizontal suction Gas engines of 150 B.H.P. each 22 in. bore, 34 in. Stroke, 160 rpm . Main drive by ropes. Last indication approx. 140 I.H.P. each
  • 1 2-cylinder Carels Vertical Diesel engine, 160 B.H.P. Last indication 156 I.H.P. Cylinders each 16½ in. bore, 24 in. stroke, 165 rpm Main drive by ropes
  • 1 Crossley Single Cylinder Horizontal Suction Gas Engine direct coupled to a Bruce Peebles DC Generator of 65 kW at 230 volts. 18½ in. bore, 24 in. stroke, 200 rpm.
  • 1 Crossley Single Cylinder Horizontal Oil Engine driving Fitting Shop. 8½ in. bore, 18 in. Stroke, 230 rpm.
  • 1 Small Generator of approx. 15 kW for works lighting & power at 100 volts.
  • 1 Campbell Open Hearth Gas Producer 300 H.P. supplying two 150 H.P. & one 80 H.P. engine
  • 1 Campbell oven hearth Gas Producer 150 H.P. supplying one 130 H.P. engine

Cooperage :—

  • Nil.

Sacks :—

  • 1 Singer Sewing Machine
  • Sacks cleaned by hand

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Radial Drill 4'0" radius
  • 1 Planing Machine 2'4" × 4' table
  • 1 Screwing Machine to take 2" pipe (Power driven)
  • 1 Lathe 11" centre to take 12 ft. shaft, and swing 4 ft. pulley in gap
  • 1 Lathe 7" centre to take 9 ft. shaft and swing 2'4" pulley
  • 1 Emery Wheel 7" diameter
  • 1 Grindstone 4' diameter × 6" face
  • 1 Smiths forge - Roots blower
  • Saw Bench 7' × 3' with 15 H.P.

Water :—

  • Canal Water used for washing and power from Grand Junction Canal
  • Drinking water from well

The Afonwen plant seems to have come to a standstill during the war, and evidently the deteriorated chamber kilns were not thought worth re-starting afterwards.

Denbigh

Registered Capacity :— ?

Raw Materials :—

  • Marl
  • Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

Approx
Acres
Freehold surface & minerals 12¼
Freehold surface, leasehold minerals15½
Freehold minerals only16
Leasehold surface & minerals1
Freehold surface only4
48¾

Rent of Property :—

  • Kiln site - £8 per annum; lease expires 25/03/1941
  • Limestone quarry - £5 per annum; lease expires 10/10/1926

Royalties :—

  • 1d per ton or 1¼ per cubic yard of material leased at rent of £5 per annum and expiring 10/10/1926

Loading Facilities :—

  • By road to Store at Caerwys Station
  • Rail & road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Caerwys, LMSR

Siding :—

  • Denbigh, Caerwys, LMSR

The cement kilns originally consisted of 10 Batchelor chamber pattern, 25 tons capacity each, but are now in a derelict state, the only complete working unit being the mill plant

Outside Plant :—

  • Traction Engine - Fowler & Co., 10 H.P. Wt. 13¼ tons, 1902.
  • 6 Trailers - 6 tons each, 5 being non-tipping and 1 back tipping

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 Ball Mill, Newell's No.3, 8'10½" × 4'6½"
  • 1 Tube Mill, Smidth No.12; 15'9" × 4'2"
  • 1 Newago Screen - Sturtevant Engineering Co
  • 1 Roller Crusher, 2' width; 1'10" diameter; opening about 3"

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • 3 Bins at Works, Maximum Capacity 3,000 T
  • Working Capacity 2,500 T
  • Warehouse at Station siding, 130' × 40' × 14'

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 275 H.P. Vertical Compound Condensing Steam Engine, Corliss gear by Victor Coates; diameter of cylinders 16½" & 29", stroke 30"
  • 1 45 H.P. non- condensing steam engine by Willans and Robinson, diameter of cylinders 9½" & 14", stroke 6" coupled to 1 D.C. dynamo 700 rpm, 110 volts by Siemens Bros.
  • 1 Lancashire boiler, 30' × 7", 120 psi by Galloway

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Lathe, 11'1" × 1'0¾"
  • 1 Drill, 6' 4 gears

The Sundon plant was the smallest of the six BPCM plants that survived into the 1970s, and was not a triumph of plant design even in its early days, having been developed in a piecemeal manner. However, against the odds, it was easily the lowest cost Blue Circle plant at the time of the survey, and remained among the lowest cost plants until its last few years, so pretexts for closure were hard to find. In 1924, the plant was still running the last "first generation" kiln (No.1) and, there being modest reserves, it was decided to replace it with another kiln the same size as No.2. The oil crisis finally killed the plant off in 1976.

Forders

Registered Capacity :— 900 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Marl

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 59 years to 29/09/1957

Rent of Property :—

  • Surface Rent, £100 per annum minimum
  • License to work marl £100 per annum

Royalties :—

  • 3d per ton over 8000 tons cement

Loading Facilities :—

  • Railway Trucks

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Harlington (Midland), LMSR

Siding :—

  • Private siding about 2 miles from Harlington Station, LMSR

Raw Material Getting :—

  • The Raw Material is a marl, which is obtained by dragging a harrow up and down the working face. This is done by a Steam Ploughing Engine, while a Steam Digger picks up the marl and loads it into trucks, which are hauled to the foot of the inclined creeper. This takes the trucks to a Tippler over the crushing rolls.

Uncallowing :—

  • Sufficient done for a year or more by an Erie Shovel and Petrol Loco, the former being now on loan to another Branch (April 1924).

Outside Plant :—

  • One Steam Ploughing Engine, Fowlers Compound 20 H.P.
  • One Ruston Steam Digger (12 ton) with Bucket 2 yard capacity
  • One 2½ ton Simplex Petrol Loco 20 H.P.
  • One Whitaker Navvy now in course of erection. Transferred from Martin Earle (April 1924)

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One set of Kibbling Crushers
  • Two Washmills, screening area 49.5 sq. ft., H.P. 80 @ 20 rpm. Output 22½ tons per hour
  • Five Clarkes Mills each 7.6 sq. ft. screening area, 5 H.P. @ 135 rpm
  • Two Slurry elevators
  • Two Sun & Planet Mixers, Triple, in Quarry, capacity 1000 tons each
  • Three Small Triple Mixers - 2 in Rotary Slurry House, capacity 150 tons each, and 1 near office, capacity 800 tons
  • Five sets of 3-Throw Pumps; 2 for Washmills, 1 for Triple Mixer near office, 2 for Rotary Kilns

Cement Kilns :—

  • One Kiln FLS, 60'0" × 6'0", lined 4½" bricks throughout
  • Cubic capacity1298 cu. ft.
    Output24 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.18.5 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining990 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.24.3 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd52%
    Coal consumption standard40.1%
  • One Kiln Edgar Allen 150'0" × 8'6" and 7'6", Burning zone 30'0" long lined 9" bricks. Remainder lined 9" & 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity5109 cu. ft.
    Output92 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.18.1 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining3100 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.29.7 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd40.6%
    Coal consumption standard31.4%
  • Four Schneider Kilns: not in use at present time (April 1924)
  • Fourteen Chamber Kilns: not in use at present time (April 1924)

Coal Plants :—

  • One Dryer, FLS 23'0" × 4'0" Externally heated by furnace. Output 25 cwt per hour.
  • One Dryer, Edgar Allan 30'4½" × 4'6", internally & externally heated by flue gas and hot air. Output 2½ tons per hour from 13% to 2½% H2O
  • Coal Mills: Two Bradley 30" 3-Roll Pulverisers each taking 70 H.P. @ 150 rpm. Output 2¼ tons per hour to 20% on 180#
  • Powdered coal storage for 12 hours

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One Giant Griffin Mill - 40" single Roll 60 H.P. @ 170 rpm. Output 2 tons per hour to 6% on 180#
  • Two FLS Kominor C, 4'0" × 6'0" long lined steel step plates. Charge 2 tons 4" steel balls. 30 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 3.2 tons per hour to residue on 76#: No.1 27%, No.2 48%
  • One FLS Tube Mill, No.16 4'11" × 20'0" lined Quartzite. Charge 7 tons 1" C.I. balls. 75 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 3.2 tons per hr to 4% on 180#
  • One FLS Tube Mill, No.17.5 5'6" × 20'0" lined Quartzite. Charge 9 tons 1" C.I. balls. 100 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 3.2 tons per hr to 4% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • 6 Flat Bottomed Stores
  • Maximum Capacity: 6000 tons
  • Working Capacity: 5000 tons
  • Hand Packing

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • No.1 1 National Horizontal Gas Engine, 2 cylinders, each 22½" bore, 30" stroke, 300 I.H.P. @ 170 rpm
  • No.2 1 National Horizontal Gas engine, Single cylinder 22½" bore, 30" stroke, 150 I.H.P. @ 180 rpm
  • No.3 1 National Horizontal Gas engine, 2 cylinders, each 24" bore, 30" stroke, 350 I.H.P. @ 150 rpm
  • No.4 1 Premier Horizontal Gas Engine, 6 cylinders, each 20" bore, 28" stroke, 750 B.H.P. @ 190 rpm, last indication 980 I.H.P.
  • No.5 1 Fielding & Platt Horizontal Gas Engine, 2 cylinders, each 14" bore, 22" stroke, 160 I.H.P. @ 210 rpm
  • No.6 1 Crossley Vertical Petrol Paraffin engine 4 cylinders, each 6½" bore, 7" stroke, 650 rpm direct coupled to 35 kW Generator 220 volts.
  • 1 National Compressor Horizontal single cylinder, 4" bore, 4" stroke for No.3 engine, 1 B.H.P.
  • Main drive in all cases by ropes
  • 1 Fielding & Platt Paraffin engine, 1 cylinder, 4" bore, 4" stroke with compressor 3" bore, 5" stroke
  • 1 Premier Compressor for No.4 engine, 1 cylinder, 4" bore, 5" stroke
  • 1 Vickers Generator 300 kW at 230 volts
  • 4 Crossley Open Hearth Gas Producers, suction pressure system with tar extractors, each producing 350 I.H.P.
  • 1 Field & Platt old type of producer 160 I.H.P., suction system

Cooperage :—

  • Nil.

Sacks :—

  • Hand Sorting
  • Repairs by hand, and by two Singer Sewing Machines, electrically driven.

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Keyway Cutting Machine
  • 2 Drilling Machines
  • 1 Emery Wheel
  • 1 Power Hack Saw
  • 2 Screw Cutting Lathes, 8" centres
  • 1 Lathe, 12" centres
  • 1 Lathe, 6" centres
  • 1 Shaping Machine, 12" Stroke
  • 1 Punching & Shearing Machine, 12" Jaw

Water :—

  • Artesian Well
  • 8" Bore Suction Pump by Potter Co.

The Johnsons plant had the best raw material reserves of any of the 1924 BPCM plants. The early kilns 1-3 had been replaced with a larger kiln (No.5) in 1921, and the survey confirmed the plan to quadruple its capacity, which was completed in 1928. The plant was finally superseded by Northfleet in 1971, its still-substantial lands becoming part of the Northfleet reserve.

Johnsons

Registered Capacity :— 2500 T/week (1924 & 1925)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk - freehold
  • Clay - River Thames (Higham)

Tenure of Property :—

  • All freehold. .
  • Upchurch Clay: Freehold
  • Stoke Clay: Leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil.

Royalties :—

  • Clay: £300 per annum. 3d per ton of clay after ?

Loading Facilities :—

  • PC - 1 tidal berth for s/s up to about 600 tons, 8 tidal berths for barges, direct rail, direct lorries
  • Sand - 2 tidal barge berths
  • Chalk, Clinker etc: 1 tidal berth s/s to about 1,000 tons. (Now out of commission due to bad condition of jetty and tips)

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Greenhithe, SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Own private siding into Works
  • Permanent Way:- 7 miles 3'9" & 4'8½" gauge

Raw Material Getting :—

  • One 18 ton Ruston Navvy
  • One 12 ton Ruston Navvy

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 Loco: 12" bore × 20" stroke
  • 3 Locos: 10" bore × 15" stroke
  • 1 Loco: 9" bore × 15" stroke
  • 1 Loco: 9" bore × 14" stroke
  • 1 Loco: compound gear-driven ex Cliffe (Quarry) works
  • 1 Crane: 3 ton Coles for clay unloading
  • 1 Crane: 3 ton Coles for coal etc unloading
  • 1 Crane: 5 ton Grafton for coal etc unloading
  • Chalk wagons: 58
  • Clinker etc wagons: 100
  • Cement trollies: 30
  • Coke, coal, etc wagons: 35
  • Sand wagons: 18

Raw Material Preparation :—

Chalk:

  • One set of 4'9" × 2'0" Roller Crushers (Motor driven) with a Tray Conveyor for flint picking, delivering into an 18 ft. washmill
  • One Intermediate 18 ft. mill
  • Two Screening mills 24 ft. diameter
  • Slurry delivered by 20 ft. double Elevator Wheel to a standard 66 ft. Mixer
  • Three sets of 8" diameter three-throw slurry pumps deliver to another Mixer of 66 ft. diameter
  • Flint Grit extracting and washing gear is attached to these mills

Clay:

  • is discharged at Jetty by a three ton Coles Crane and Grab delivering direct into a 17'9" diameter mill and then pumped by a set of 12" diameter three-throw pumps to a standard 66 ft. mixer alongside the chalk washmill, clay being delivered as required to No.1 washmill by belt elevator

Cement Kilns :—

  • No.4 Kiln, 202 ft. × 8'6" and 10' diameter. Open ended cooler 76 ft. × 7'0" and 5'6"
  • The plant did not submit the standard kiln performance data

    Cubic capacity cu. ft.
    Output cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft. cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft. cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd%
    Coal consumption standard%
  • No.5 Kiln, 202 ft. × 9 ft. and 10 ft. diameter. Open ended cooler 82'6" × 6'5" and 8'6": separate flues connect with one 300 ft. Chimney.
  • The plant did not submit the standard kiln performance data

    Cubic capacity cu. ft.
    Output cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft. cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft. cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd%
    Coal consumption standard%
  • 30 ft. diameter Elevator Wheel delivers slurry by two APCM Spoon feeds to kilns
  • All motor driven from the Kent Works Power House and Johnsons transformers
  • Tray Conveyors with Jaw Crushers and Elevator deliver clinker to Hopper 75 tons capacity above No.1 mill

Coal Plants :—

  • One set of 24" Roller Crushers, chain and bucket elevator deliver to a dryer 50 ft. long × 5 ft. diameter Conveyor screws deliver to three Smidth Tube mills 14 ft. × 4 ft. (divided by diaphragms into two Chambers of 4 ft. and 10 ft.) and charged with steel balls and pellets.
  • Screws and elevator deliver to separate hoppers in connection with each kiln with the usual feed screws, fans, etc.
  • All motors driven from the Kent Works Power House and Johnsons transformers.

Cement Grinding Plant :—

No.1 Grinding Mill

  • 1 Krupp tubemill 9'10" × 5'7¾" diameter charged with steel balls
  • 2 Smidth tubes 14' × 4' diameter charged with small steel balls
  • 1 Smidth tube 20' (shortened to 14') × 5'3½" diameter charged with pellets
  • 1 Cooling mill 14' × 4' (not in use)
  • 1 Exhaust Heat Boiler for hydrating purposes.

No.3 Grinding Mill

  • 1 Newell preliminary tube 15'6" × 6' diameter (divided into two chambers by a diaphragm) charged with steel balls
  • 1 Newell finishing tube 24' × 6' diameter charged with pellets
  • Driven electrically from the Kent Works Power Station through a 400 H.P. motor

No.4 Grinding Mill

  • 1 Newell preliminary tube 15'6" × 6' diameter (divided into two chambers by a diaphragm) charged with steel balls
  • 1 Newell finishing tube 24' × 6' diameter charged with pellets
  • Driven electrically from the Kent Works Power Station through a 400 H.P. motor

There is a hopper of about 150 ton capacity as clinker storage for Nos. 3 & 4 mills, the clinker being brought from the kilns by truck and then elevated to hopper.

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but there were several flat-bottomed warehouses, divided into bins.
  • Maximum capacity 17,600 tons
  • Working capacity 14,600 tons
  • One Bates Filler with Drag Scraper

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

The Kiln and coal plants and the Nos. 3 and 4 cement grinding mills are operated by electric current taken from the Kent works. On-site power plant includes:

  • No.1 325 H.P. 3300 volt autosynchronous motor by Metropolitan Vickers Ltd. driving by ropes one 260 H.P. 220 volt Siemens generator
  • No.2 325 H.P. 3300 volt squirrel cage motor by English Electric Co. driving by ropes one 260 H.P. 220 volt Siemens generator

At Washmill:

  • 1 4 cylinder 450 H.P. Premier Gas Engine
  • 1 120 H.P. Electric Generator to supply power to clay washing plant, pumps, etc
  • 1 Open hearth Campbell Gas Producer

At No.1 Cement Grinding Mill:

  • 1 375 H.P. three cylinder Premier Gas Engine
  • 1 Open hearth Gas Producer plant
  • 1 Exhaust Heat boiler for hydrating purposes

At Cooperage:

  • 1 120 H.P. Single cylinder National Gas Engine
  • 1 Wood chip Eureka Producer plant

At kilns, and 3&4 Mills, on standby since supply of power from Kent Works:

  • 1 National Gas Engine Co twin horizontal engine 250 HP
  • 2 National Gas Engine Co twin horizontal engines, each 235 HP
  • All direct coupled to electric generators by Siemens:- one of 170 kW, two of 160 kW
  • 1 170 H.P. vertical compound condensing engine by Stevenson of Preston with 1 175 kW generator attached
  • 6 Gas Producer plants:- one open hearth Campbell, two National Gas Engine type, three Dowson type
  • Two Lancashire boilers:- 1 28' × 8'6", 100 psi and 1 30' × 8'0", 100 psi
  • One 120 tube economiser

Cooperage :—

  • Three Shaking Machines
  • Three stave tongue-and-groove machines
  • One Chimer, Crozer & Printer connected with dryer
  • Five Magnetic Bells
  • One Head tongue-and-groove machine
  • One Head printing machine
  • One Head turning machine
  • Two Hoop Punching Machines
  • One Splaying Machine
  • Three Riveting Machines
  • Three sets standard three-throw Pumps
  • The cooperage is protected with a Mather & Platt Sprinkler Installation
  • Driven by a 120 H.P. single cylinder National Gas Engine with a wood chip Eureka Producer Plant

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 3 Smiths Hearths
  • 1 No.1 Fan for Smiths Forge
  • 1 Shearing and Punching Machine
  • 1 Pillar Drilling Machine, 2¼" Spindles
  • 1 Sensitive Drill 2" Spindle
  • 1 3'6" Radial Drilling Machine
  • 1 5' Side Planing Machine
  • 1 Heavy Type Bed Planing Machine, 2 tool holders 5'0" × 2'6" × 2'6"
  • 2 Power Hack Saws
  • 1 SSS Lathe, gap bed, 8½" C., Swing 2'6"
  • 1 SSS Lathe, gap bed, 10½" C., Swing 3'0", 8' bed
  • 1 SSS Lathe, 6½" C., 4' bed
  • 1 18" Centre Lathe 20' bed, no gap. Old but powerful machine
  • 1 12½" Centre Lathe gap swing 3'9"
  • 1 20" Power emery wheel
  • 1 Power Screwing Machine, Maximum 1½" bolts, 3" pipe
  • 1 16 H.P. Motor 220 V
  • 1 20 H.P. Motor 220 V
  • Current supplied from Kent Works Power Station through Johnsons transformers

  • 2 Portable Acetylene Cutting and Welding plants
  • 1 Portable Electric Welding plant
  • 1 Circular Saw
  • 1 Band Saw
  • 1 Hand Power Mortising Machine
  • 1 16" Stroke shaping machine ex Imperial Works

The Lees plant was one of eight plants on the Medway remaining in 1924, and the comparatively large Holborough plant was under construction. Since the upper Medway was inefficient for the export trade, the area's production capacity was excessive, and the relatively backward Lees and Halling Manor plants, after the departure of their old-guard protectors from the Blue Circle board, were rapidly closed, despite fairly good raw material reserves.

Lees

Registered Capacity :— 1600 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Freehold Chalk
  • Freehold Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • All Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil.

Royalties :—

  • Nil.

Loading Facilities :—

  • PC: 3 tidal berths for barges
  • Continuous Lime: 2 tidal berths for barges, one entailing extra run
  • Carbonate: 2 tidal berths for barges

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Halling, SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Permanent way: 3 miles 4'8½" and 4'3½" gauge
  • Own private siding into Works

Barge yard: There is a small yard for barge repairs.

Raw Material Getting :—

Chalk Quarry

  • 1 20-ton Ruston Navvy
  • 1 8-ton Ruston Navvy
  • 1 Gravity runway and lift

Clay Pit

  • 1 Overhead Wire Ropeway 1650 yards long by Ropeways Ltd
  • 1 40 H.P. Single Cylinder Grice Gas Engine
  • 1 Suction Gas Producer Plant

Outside Plant :—

  • 3 Locos: Direct Coupled type (2 4'8½" gauge, 1 4'3½" gauge)
  • 4 Locos: geared type (all 4'3½" gauge: 2 dismantled and out of use)
  • 1 Crane: 5 ton Grafton
  • 1 Crane: 5 ton Jessop & Appleby
  • 183 Chalk Wagons, 33 cwt capacity
  • 12 Clay Wagons, 7 tons capacity

Raw Material Preparation :—

Wet Mill

  • 1 set of Roller Crushers, 3' × 1'4"
  • 1 Chalk Washmill, 18' diameter
  • 1 set of 10" 2-throw pumps deliver chalk slurry to:
  • 1 clay washmill 16' diameter. Slurry runs by gravity to:
  • 2 Mixers 35' × 16'6" × 10' each

Drying Plant

  • 1 Clay Drying Drum 52' × 5'3"
  • An elevator and conveyors deliver to hoppers over Pan Mills. Chalk is fed by hand into:-
  • 2 sets of Jaw Crushers
  • 2 Pan Mills 10'6" diameter
  • 2 Amme Giesecke elevators:-
  • 2 Drying Drums 45' × 5'3"
  • Conveyors and Elevators take the raw meal to hoppers over:-
  • 11 4'10" Roulette mills
  • Conveyors and Elevators take the finished raw meal to:-
  • 8 Silos of 160 tons each.
  • 1 set of 7½" 3-throw pumps deliver slurry from the mixer to:-
  • 2 Slurry Dryers 45' × 5'3"
  • 1 Belt Conveyor delivers to:-

Briquette Making Plant

  • 5 Mixing Machines over the Briquette and Pug Mills
  • 3 Pug Mills
  • 2 4-hammer Dorstener Presses.

The bricks are loaded on to hand trollies and taken by electrically and steam driven lifts to 12 Schneider Kilns

Cement Kilns :—

  • 12 Schneider Kilns with forced draught, the fans being motor driven

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 set of Roll Crushers, 2'0" × 1'10"
  • 1 Elevator delivers to a hopper of 100 tons capacity
  • 1 Amme Giesecke Steel Ball Tube Mill, 12' × 5'6"
  • 2 Krupp Tube Mills, 19'6" × 4'0" charged with pellets
  • 1 Newell Steel Ball Tube Mill, 12'9" × 5'6"
  • 1 Smidth Tube Mill, 19' × 4'10"
  • 1 Smidth Tube Mill, 16' × 4'0"

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was a flat-bottomed warehouse divided into bins.
  • Maximum Capacity 11,000 tons
  • Working Capacity 8,000 tons

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

Raw Material Plant:-

  • 1 1200 H.P. Musgrave Compound Condensing tandem steam engine with:-
  • 1 320 kW Electric Generator
  • 1 50 H.P. Stand-by steam generating set of 38 kW by Scott & Mountain
  • 1 - 75 kW Parsons Turbine set
  • All 220 volts DC
  • 2 Lancs. Boilers 30' × 9' @ 170 psi
  • 1 Lancs. Boiler 30' × 8'6" @ 170 psi
  • fitted with induced draught, superheaters and a 96 pipe economiser

Clay Pit Ropeway:-

  • 1 40 H.P. Single Cylinder Grice Gas Engine
  • 1 Suction Gas Producer

Cement Grinding:-

  • 1 700 H.P. Hick Hargreaves Compound Condensing Steam Engine with:-
  • 1 Electric Generator of 92 kW 220 volts DC
  • 2 Lancs. Boilers, 30' × 8'6" @ 180 psi fitted with induced draught, superheaters, on site but not installed. The economiser has been transferred to Burham Branch

Saw Mill :—

  • 1 Frame Saw for log cutting
  • 2 Circular Saws
  • 1 Band Saw
  • Electrically driven

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 5 Smiths Hearths
  • 1 Pillar Drilling Machine
  • 1 2'6" Radial Drilling Machine
  • 1 Shaping Machine 14" stroke
  • 1 Planing Machine 6' stroke
  • 1 Slotting Machine 10½" stroke
  • 1 Power Screwing Machine up to 2½" pipes
  • 1 Power Hacksaw
  • 1 Lathe 10" centres with gap bed to swing 3'6"
  • 1 Lathe 10½" centres with gap bed to swing 3'6"
  • 1 Lathe 21½" centres to swing 3'10"
  • 1 Lathe 7½" centres
  • 1 Lathe 5" centres
  • 1 Punching & Shearing machine for ⅝" plate
  • 1 Portable Acetylene Welding Plant
  • 1 Portable Forge
  • 1 Portable Electric Drilling Machine
  • 1 Mortise & Boring Machine (to bore up to 1¼")
  • 1 Frame Saw 22"
  • 1 Band Saw
  • 1 Circular Saw 2'6" diameter
  • 1 Circular Saw 1'3" diameter
  • Power supplied through 2 - 15 and 1 - 10 H.P. motors from Main Power Station

Lees Lime

Registered Capacity :— ?

Kilns :—

  • 8 Brockham Continuous Kilns.
  • 1 Electrically driven Chalk Hoist
  • 1 Electrically driven Fuel Lift
  • 25 Flare Kilns - not now in use. (6 fit for immediate use - 19 require repairs)

Dry Carbonate Plant :—

Small Chalk is brought in 30 cwt trucks by loco and is fed by hand to :-

  • 1 Feeding Belt
  • 1 pair Roll Crushers 19" × 16"
  • 1 Drying Drum 60' × 5'
  • 1 Carters Disintegrator
  • 1 Rotating Sieve 10'3" × 2'10"
  • 1 Automatic Sack Filling & Weighing Machine
  • 1 Dust Collecting Plant
  • all electrically driven

Lime Plant :—

  • 1 set of Roll Crushers 18" × 12"
  • 1 Rotating Sieve 10'3" × 2'10"
  • 1 Disintegrator
  • 1 Automatic Sack Filling & Weighing Machine
  • Electrically driven
  • 1 Edge Runner Mill (disused)
  • 3 pairs 4'6" Millstones (disused)
  • 1 70 H.P. Steam Engine (Boiler Condemned)

Hydrating Plant :—

  • 1 Table Feed Gear
  • 1 set of Roll Crushers 24' × 10½"
  • 12" Hydrating Screw fitted with water supply
  • 1 Bolting Machine 7'0" × 2'6"
  • Various screws, elevators, hoppers and a Roulette mill in the cement Raw Mill Plant all used in connection with this plant

Lees Whiting

Registered Capacity :— ?

Washing Plant :—

  • 1 Washmill, 24' diameter, with necessary drains, backs, floors, etc
  • This mill is newly erected and is not quite complete

The lack of a capacity figure perhaps reflects the 1924 decision to convert part of the plant for calcium aluminate cement production. The latter was predicated on the availability of bauxite nearby. It also reflects the total loss of southern Irish market in the early 1920s. After the calcium aluminate experiment, the plant was rebuilt, and extended in the 1950s. The installation of the efficient Cookstown and the oil crisis rendered it redundant in the 1970s, and it closed in 1980.

Magheramorne

Registered Capacity :— ?

Raw Materials :—

  • Indurated Chalk
  • Clay from Larne Lough

Tenure of Property :—

  • Lease to 1963

Rent of Property :—

  • £400 which represents the annual rent for the whole of the property (cement, whiting, lime etc.)

Royalties :—

  • 3d per ton of Limestone
  • 3d per ton of Clay calculated, from cement produced (0.372 factor)

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail and Water. Vessels up to approx. 330 tons burden 11 ft. draught.

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Magheramorne, LMS (NCC)

Siding :—

  • Runs into works alongside warehouse from the main Larne-Belfast line of the LMS.

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Clay is dredged from the Lough by an oil engined Hopper Dredger on which is mounted a steam grab by Priestman. It is washed in a mill on the jetty and pumped up to the Raw Mill House.
  • Limestone is blasted from a quarry close to the Works. The fallen stone is picked up by a steam navvy and put into trucks which are hauled by electric winches to the crushing house in the quarry, whence the crushed material is conveyed by a ropeway to the Raw Mill House.

Uncallowing :—

  • There is a great deal of overburden, some of which has been removed by a hydraulic gun. The present method utilises a steam navvy, a petrol locomotive being used to haul away the material.

Outside Plant :—

  • One oil engined dredger
  • One steam engined dredger (spare)
  • Two steam navvies
  • One 40 H.P. petrol locomotive
  • One standard gauge fireless steam locomotive
  • Two coal unloading cranes

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One clay washmill 80 sq. ft. screening area, 30 H.P. @ 17 rpm, output 12 tons per hour
  • One set 8" 3-throw pumps
  • Two jaw crushers in quarry, one by F.L. Smidth, one by Hadfield
  • Three FLS Kominor 52, 7'6" × 7'3" long, lined steel plates, charge 5.2 tons steel balls, 95 H.P. @ 21 rpm, output 13 tons per hour to 30% on 100#
  • Two FLS tube mills No.20, 6'5" × 24'4" long, lined quartzite, charge 16 tons punchings and bar ends mixed, 220 H.P. @ 23 rpm, output - 13 tons per hour
  • One FLS tube mill No.20, lined manganese steel, otherwise as above
  • One small tube mill, 18' × 5', lined manganese steel, charge 5 tons punchings, 23 rpm
  • Three FLS Trix Mills 2'6" diameter 10 sq.ft. screening area 8 H.P. @ 130 rpm
  • Four sets of 8" 3-throw slurry pumps
  • One set of 8" 3-throw clay slurry pumps
  • Two quadruple mixers slurry volume of each 9,848 cu.ft. = 175 tons clinker each
  • One quadruple mixer clay slurry volume same as above = 230 tons clay
  • One circular mixer clay slurry, volume 8,800 cu.ft. = 200 tons clay
  • Three quadruple slurry mixers as above - total storage = 875 clinker tons
  • Two sets 8" 3-throw Slurry Pumps

Cement Kilns :—

  • Two Rotary Kilns by F. L. Smidth, 165'6" × 7'10" and 9'1½" diameter, burning zone 23'6" long lined 9¼" bricks; remainder lined 6¼" bricks
  • Cubic capacity6362 cu. ft.
    Output116 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.18.2 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining3640 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.31.9 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd36%
    Coal consumption standard31.0%

Coal Plants :—

  • One FLS dryer 5'3" × 45'6" long, heated externally and internally either by hot air from kiln or by coal firing. Output 3½ tons per hour from 13% - 3% H2O
  • One FLS Kominor C, 6'0" × 4'3" long lined steel plates. Charge 2 tons steel balls. Output 3½ tons per hour. 36 H.P. @ 25 rpm
  • One Polysius Tube Mill 6'0" × 20'0" long, lined quartzite. Charge 12 tons 1" C.I. balls, 100 H.P. @ 24 rpm Output 3½ tons per hour to 10% on 180#
  • Powdered coal Hopper sufficient for two hours over each kiln

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Two FLS Kominor 50, 7'6" × 7'3" long lined steel plates. Charge 5 tons steel balls 95 H.P. @ 21 rpm Output 7 tons per hour to 54% on 180#
  • Two FLS Tube Mills No.20, 6'5" × 24'4" long lined Quartzite. Charge 16 tons punching 220 H.P. @ 23 rpm Output 7 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • Cement Storage & Loading :—

    • Two Silos each 2500 tons
    • Four Flat bottom Stores
    • Exilor and Hand Packing
    • Maximum capacity 6000 tons
    • Working capacity 5400 tons

    Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

    • 1 Curtis, British Thompson Houston Co. turbo-alternator 1250 kW, 500 volts, 3-phase, 50 cycles, Direct Coupled Set, 3000 rpm, surface condenser, C.M. & M. air pumps, motor driven. Vacuum 28 in.
    • 1 Richardsons Westgarth English Electric Co. turbo-alternator 750 kW, 500 volts, 3-phase, 50 cycles, direct coupled set, 3000 rpm, condensing plant: contraflow condenser, Kinetic air pump motor driven by Pulsometer. Vacuum 28 in.
    • 1 vertical compound high-speed engine by Allen, Bedford, with Körting ejector condenser, Vacuum 25, bore of cylinder high pressure 9 in., bore of cylinder low pressure 15 in., stroke 7 in., 425 rpm, direct coupled to 250 kW 3-phase alternator, 500 volts
    • 1 Belliss 2-stage air compressor, direct coupled. Bore high pressure 11 in., bore low pressure 18½ in., stroke 9 in., 360 rpm
    • 4 Babcock & Wilcox 2 drum 160-tube boilers with chain grate stokers, Babcock superheaters, working pressure 200 psi, superheat 250 deg. F
    • Softening plant - Babcock & Wilcox
    • Boiler evaporation normal conditions about 26,000 lbs. per hour
    • Green Economiser of 360 tubes
    • 3 Weir feed pumps

    Cooperage :—

    • Nil

    Sacks :—

    • 1 Automatic cleaning machine
    • 1 Steam-heated dryer
    • 2 Singer sewing machines

    Fitters' Plant :—

    • Two forges
    • One radial drill
    • One sensitive drill
    • One 8" lathe
    • One 14" lathe
    • One screwing machine
    • One shaping machine
    • One planing machine
    • One shearing machine
    • One power hacksaw machine
    • One grinder

    Water :—

    • Surface drainage to culvert
    • One set 3" three-throw plunger pumps by Pearn as stand-by

Magheramorne Lime

Registered Capacity :— ?

Raw Materials :—

  • Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 60 years from 01/01/1903

Rent of Property :—

  • Portion of £410, which represents the annual rent for the whole of the property (Cement, Whiting, Lime, etc.

Royalties :—

  • 6d per ton of Limeshells produced

Loading Facilities :—

  • Direct into Railway wagon

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Magheramorne, LMS (NCC)

Siding :—

  • Runs alongside kiln and joins main line Larne to Belfast, LMS N.C.C. Section

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Quarried by hand in Portland cement limestone quarry

Lime Kilns :—

  • 2 Brockham shaft kilns 120-130 T/week large & small lime
  • 3 Draw kilns, completely out of repair and can be considered obsolete
  • 1 Draw kiln, could be repaired and used if necessary

The two Brockham Lime kilns output will be totally used for the production of Aluminous cement

Magheramorne Whiting

Registered Capacity :— 25 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - 60 years from 01/01/1903

Rent of Property :—

  • Portion of £410, which represents the annual rent for the whole of the property (Cement, Whiting, Lime, etc.

Royalties :—

  • 3d per ton of Limestone used

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail trade only direct into railway wagon from Whiting store.

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Magheramorne, LMS (NCC)

Siding :—

  • Connects main line Larne-Belfast

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Quarried by hand in Portland cement limestone quarry

Washing Plant :—

  • 2 open pan mills and grit separator

Settling Vats :—

  • 4 vats, open type

Drying Floors :—

  • 4 Hand fired, output per hour 10 cwt

Air Drying Sheds :—

  • Nil
  • 1 Store for stocking lump whiting after removing from drying floor

Grinding Mills :—

  • Nil

Power Plant :—

  • Nil
  • Motor driven current supplied by central power station of cement works

Water :—

  • Surface, fed by gravity and pumped when necessary

The Globe whiting plant had already ceased activity by this stage. Whiting production was centralised at Swanscombe.

New Globe Whiting

Registered Capacity :— ?

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk

Tenure of Property :—

  • All Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

Whiting & Chalk

  • 1 tidal berth s/s up to about 1,500 Tons
  • 3 tidal barge berths
  • Direct Rail

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Greenhitbe, SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Permanent Way 2½ Miles 4'8½" gauge

Outside Plant :—

  • One Loco 10" bore 15" stroke
  • One Loco 8" bore 12" stroke
  • One Loco 10" bore 14" stroke (This is loaned to Bevans Branch)
  • One three ton Coles crane
  • 175 wagons of various types

Washing Plant :—

  • 2 Washmills 16 ft. diameter (only one in use) receive the chalk, the slurry flows by gravity to:-
  • Seven rotary sieves 5'6" long and 2 ft. diameter and then by elevator & drains to the settling backs

Grinding Mills :—

  • 1 Rough grinding machine
  • 2 Bolting machines with necessary elevators and conveyors

Power Plant :—

  • 1 Tangye gas producer plant
  • 1 Single cylinder Tangye gas engine of 60 H.P. with an electric generator of 33 kW
  • The Washmill Plant is driven direct and the powdering plant is driven electrically
  • 1 Lancs boiler 18'0" × 4'6" disused
  • 1 Lancs boiler 14'0" × 4'6" disused
  • 1 Vertical boiler 9'0" × 3'9" disused
  • 1 Vertical boiler 6'0" × 3'0" disused

The Newhaven plant was still operational in 1924, and a new washmill plant was being built, but the use of the past tense indicates that closure must have been announced as the report was compiled, and production had ceased by the end of the year.

Newhaven

Registered Capacity :— 350 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • White Chalk on site
  • Gault Clay at Glynde
  • Alluvial Clay on site

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold - works site, chalk quarry and clay lands - lease expires 29th September 1983

Rent of Property :—

  • Works, chalk & clay: £250 per annum
  • Extra land: £25 per annum
  • Right to make tramways from Glynde Station to clay pit: £23 per annum

Royalties :—

  • Not more than 4d per ton of chalk and 6d per ton of clay dug over and above such quantities as would in the aggregate amount to the yearly sum of £250

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail and road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Newhaven Town - Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Cement siding, Newhaven Town, Southern Railway

Raw Material Getting :—

  • The Quarry face is within 200 yards of the rotary kiln. Under the old method of working, the chalk is got by blasting, broken, loaded into 1-yard tip wagons, and pushed (all by hand) to the Chalk washmill. Under the new scheme, the system of working was to be in galleries: the chalk to be dug and loaded by a Whittaker Steam Shovel of ¾-yard capacity dipper into trucks. These trucks were pushed, and the chalk dumped into crushers situated near the face, and by conveyor to roughing mills
  • The clay was procured from a pit at Glynde. The pit which is situated about miles from the Railway Company track is connected by broad gauge siding: the trucks being drawn up and down by horse. The siding branched into several headings to the face where the clay was loaded by hand. The average height of the face is approximately 12ft.

Uncallowing :—

  • Chalk: There is approximately 9" to 15" of topsoil which was taken off and wheeled to dumps, from which farmers carted and scattered over the adjoining land
  • Clay: The clay being up to the surface no uncallowing was necessary

Outside Plant :—

  • One Whittaker Steam Shovel, ¾-yard capacity dipper for chalk getting
  • (The 45 H.P. Simplex Paraffin Locomotive was transferred to Shoreham for use of New Work Staff, but is now available for return)

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • The old washing plant consisted of one washmill, into which the chalk and clay was tipped, passing into screening mill and thence by elevator wheel to 25ft. mixer. (This mixer has now been demolished to make room for new engine house)
  • A new plant was in course of construction, but the work was not completed, the position being as follows:-
  • One roughing mill 18'0" diameter Only excavations completed
  • Two finishing mills 18'0" diameter About 75% of brickwork complete
  • Slurry Mixer 52'0" diameter Transferred to Shoreham
  • Slurry Pump and Motor House. Excavations only
  • Main Motor House. The four walls are erected

Cement Kilns :—

  • One Rotary Kiln 110' × 6'10¾", Smidth
  • capacity data not supplied
  • Twenty-one Chamber Kilns (to be sold)

Coal Plants :—

  • One Ballmill, Krupp No.6
  • One Tube Mill, Smidth No.12, 15'9" × 4'2"
  • One Coal Dryer, Smidth - heated by hot air from cooler

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One Crusher "Acme" Stone Breaker, by Goodwin, Barsby & Co., Leicester - size of jaw 20"
  • Two Ball Mills, Krupp No.8
  • One Tube Mill, Smidth No.17.5, 20' × 6'
  • Two Tube Mills, Smidth No.12, 15'9" × 4'2"

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Maximum Capacity 7,000 tons
  • Working Capacity 6,500 tons
  • "J" Warehouse, 211' × 121' × 30' high
  • Three bays with overhead travelling cranes

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Vertical Cross Compound 2-crank surface condensing steam engine Victor Coates 300 H.P. cylinders: 6⅜" and 28". stroke 30", pressure 140 psi
  • Vertical triple 2-crank expansion steam engine by Willans & Robinson, 150 H.P. cylinders: 10", 14" and 20", stroke 9", pressure 140 psi
  • Steam Turbine, horizontal reaction by Parsons. 50 H.P.
  • Gas Engine now removed
  • One Lancs: 30' × 8', Adamson & Co., pressure 140 psi
  • One B. & W. Water Tube, 49 sq.ft. grate area, pressure 140 psi. It is understood the B. & W. Boiler has been condemned by the Insurance Co.
  • Economiser - Green's 64 pipes
  • Four Crossley Gas Producers
  • One Tar Extractor Plant
  • One Coal Crushing Plant

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • No plant for drying

Fitters' Plant :—

  • One Lathe - gap bed - 12" centres
  • One Lathe - gap bed - 6" centres
  • One Shaping Machine - 13" stroke
  • One Radial Drilling Machine - 4'0" arm
  • One Machine Power Hack Saw
  • One Drilling Machine - swing table
  • One Emery Wheel
  • One Grindstone
  • Two Smith's Forges and Blowers - all power driven

Water :—

  • All drinking water is supplied from Newhaven Town supply. Water for power plant was pumped from a well in the Engine House, approximately 20ft. deep. The pump has been transferred to Shoreham

The Norman plant was small but relatively low cost. The original first-generation kilns were replaced after the war, although much of the original plant remained. It was modernised (but remained very small) in 1949, and outlived all the BPCM plants in this report except Shoreham. It closed in 1984, as a inevitable part of the continued contraction of the industry.

Norman

Registered Capacity :— 1250 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Marl from own Quarry
  • Chalk from leasehold Quarry

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold excepting chalk land
  • Chalk land (6 acres) leasehold - 60 years expiring 25/03/1977

Rent of Property :—

  • Chalk Pit - £12 per annum (part land sublet at rent of £9 per annum)

Royalties :—

  • 1½d per ton of chalk dug out with minimum of £20 per annum

Loading Facilities :—

  • Covered Railway Siding alongside loading shed. Capable of accommodating 4 - 10 ton Railway wagons.

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Cambridge LNER nearest station but traffic is dealt with by Fulbourn station LNER

Siding :—

  • Consists of 4 Roads having a total length of 1063 yards the steepest gradient being 1 in 200. Siding is worked by steam driven locomotive. Portion of siding in front of loading shed is roofed. Maximum working capacity of siding one hundred 10 ton standard railway wagons

Raw Material Getting :—

  • The Raw Material is a Marl, to which about 16% of Chalk has to be added. The Marl is milled from a face about 60 ft. high into trucks which are hauled by a petrol locomotive to the washing plant situated in the quarry.
  • The Chalk is got from a quarry about a mile and a half from the works, whence it is brought in steam lorries and tipped into the quarry. It is picked up again into trucks and taken with the marl to the washmill.

Uncallowing :—

  • There is only about two feet of topsoil over the Marl deposit

Outside Plant :—

  • One 2½ tons Petrol "Simplex" locomotive
  • One Standard gauge Steam Locomotive

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One Roughing washmill with 51 sq. ft. screening area, 70 H.P. @ 21 rpm Output 27 tons per hour
  • Three Clarkes Mills 4'6" diameter 8½ sq. ft. screening area 8 H.P. @ 120 rpm
  • Two slurry elevators
  • Four sets of 3-throw pumps
  • Three Sun & Planet Mixers, 2 in quarry, one in works: capacity 800 tons of Slurry each mixer

Cement Kilns :—

  • One Rotary Kiln by Newell 200' × 9'0" & 10'0", burning zone 30'8" long lined 9" bricks, remainder 6" and 4½" brick lining
  • Cubic capacity10,340 cu. ft.
    Output160 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.15.5 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining5,460 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.29.3 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd36%
    Coal consumption standard28%

Coal Plants :—

  • Dryer, 4'0" × 40'0" long. Coal fired, heat being applied both internally and externally. Output 3 tons per hour from 15% - 6% H2O
  • Three Griffin Mills, say 20 H.P. each (two used). Output 1½ tons per hour to 28% on 180#
  • Powdered coal hopper holding 8 tons equivalent to 2½ hours on full output

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Nine Griffin Mills for rough grinding (6 in use), 30 H.P., Output 1¾ tons per hour to 40% on 180#
  • One Newell combination tube mill, 6'0" × 25'0" long, lined Silex. Charge 16 tons 1" C.I. balls, 225 H.P. @ 21 rpm. Output 9-10 tons per hour to 6% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Hopper-bottom stores 16,000 ton working capacity
  • Extractor screws, elevators and two Simons automatic weighing and packing machines

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Horizontal tandem compound steam engine with Corliss valve gear and condenser by Pollit & Wigzell, cylinder bore: high pressure 17⅜", low pressure 34¾", stroke 5'0", 70 rpm. Main drive by rope. Vacuum 23", 675 I.H.P.
  • 1 Horizontal tandem compound steam engine with Corliss valve gear and condenser by Pollit & Wigzell, cylinder bore: high pressure 11⅜", low pressure 22 15/16", stroke 3'6", 80 rpm. Main drive by rope. Vacuum 22", 275 I.H.P.
  • 1 Horizontal tandem compound by Pollit & Wigzell. This engine exhausts into No.2 condenser, vacuum 19", cylinder bore: high pressure 9", low pressure 13⅞", stroke 2'0", 100 rpm, 120 I.H.P.
  • A 75 kW 220 volt generator is belt driven by this engine
  • 2 150 kW 220 volt generators belt driven from main shafting
  • 1 small air compressor, motor driven, by J. Thom, Patricroft, bore 9", stroke 9"
  • 3 Babcock & Wilcox single drum boilers, 90 tubes, 2 with chain grate stokers and one with pulverised fuel Atritor system of Alfred Herbert. Babcock superheaters, working pressure 150 psi, Superheat 100 deg. F, boiler evaporation under normal conditions 11,500 lb. per hour
  • Green economiser, 180 tubes
  • 1 Weir feed pump
  • 1 Worthington feed pump

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • Storage for 10,000 to 15,000 sacks. No cleaning or repairing plant

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Lathe S&S 12" centres
  • 1 Lathe S&S 8½" centres
  • 1 Shaping Machine
  • 1 Radial Drilling Machine
  • 1 small fixer machine
  • 1 power Hacksaw
  • 3 Grinding Wheels
  • 1 Punching & Shearing Machine
  • all above driven by 7 H.P. motor

Water :—

  • Obtained from 2 bores through the Blue Gault into the Greensand. Bore situated near boiler house 171 ft. deep and bore in quarry about 120 ft. deep. Continuous supply of water from both bores all year round

The Peters plant was operational at the time of the survey, but although there were plentiful reserves, the plants of the middle Medway could not efficiently export, and were crushed out by the much larger neighbouring plants at Burham and Holborough, and closure ensued in 1928.

Peters

Registered Capacity :— 1700 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Freehold Chalk
  • Medway Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • All freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • PC 5 tidal barge berths
  • Lime 4 tidal barge berths
  • Chalk 1 tidal barge berth

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Snodland, SE Section, Southern Railway

Permanent Way :—

  • 5½ miles 4'2¼" gauge
  • Barge and private wharf in connection with Snodland Station

Raw Material Preparation :—

    Wet Mill:

  • 1 Winding gear
  • 1 Tippler gear for chalk wagons
  • 1 Set of roller crushers 6'0" × 1'10"
  • 1 Preliminary washmill 18' diameter
  • 4 Screening mills 16' diameter
  • Clay is discharged by crane and grab direct into:

  • 1 washmill 14' diameter
  • The clay slurry then runs by gravity to:

  • 1 Mixer 30' diameter
  • and is pumped from here by:

  • 2 sets of 8" 3-throw pumps
  • through a measuring tank to the 1st washmill. From the sump the slurry is pumped by:

  • 1 set of 14" 3-throw pumps and
  • 1 set of 12" 3-throw pumps to
  • 2 standard 66' mixers
  • 1 Smidth mixer 35' × 30' × 10'
  • 2 sets of 7" 2 -throw Smidth pumps
  • 1 set Newell 8" 3-throw pump slurry to kilns

Cement Kilns :—

  • 2 Smidth Kilns 159' × 9' and 7'10½"
  • capacity data not supplied
  • 2 Double-shell forced-draught coolers 31'0" × 5'10" and 4'6"
  • 2 Tray conveyors carry the clinker to a silo of 700 tons capacity
  • Chamber Kilns: 31 Batchelor type (not now in use)

Coal Plants :—

    Coal is unloaded ex barge by crane and grab into small trucks and taken by hand to storage bins

  • 1 set of Roller Crushers 15½" × 19¾"
  • 1 Smidth Dryer 40'0" × 4'6", direct fired or heated by air from coolers
  • 1 Kominor size C (not in use)
  • 1 Two-compartment tube mill 20'0" × 5'6" charged with steel balls and pellets
  • Coal is delivered to kilns through the usual elevators, hopper, fans and feeds

Cement Grinding Plant :—

    An electric train hauls the clinker in wagons to:

  • 1 set of roll Crushers 18" × 18"
  • The clinker then goes through an elevator and special bucket conveyor to hoppers above:

  • 11 30" Griffin mills
  • 1 Smidth tube mill 21'0" × 5'9" charged with pellets
  • 1 Amme Giesecke tube mill 23'0" × 5'1" charged with pellets

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was a flat-bottomed warehouse.
  • Maximum Capacity 13,050
  • Working Capacity 7,500

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

    Wet Mill

  • 1 Hick Hargreaves 550 H.P. compound condensing steam engine with:
  • 1 Electric generator of 75 kW, 220 volts DC is driven by this engine for general power purposes such as clay washing, slurry pumping etc.
  • 1 Lancashire Boiler (28' × 7'2") 100 psi
  • 1 Lancashire Boiler (28' × 8'0") 100 psi
  • 1 Galloway Boiler (29' × 7'2") 100 psi
  • 96 pipe economiser
  • Kiln & Coal Mill are driven direct by:

  • 1 400 H.P. Hick Hargreaves compound condensing steam engine
  • 1 Electric generator of 80 kW, 220 volt DC for general power purposes
  • 2 Lancashire boilers 30' × 8' at 160 psi, with superheaters and 96-pipe economiser

    Grinding Mill

  • 1 1000 H.P. Hick Hargreaves compound condensing steam engine
  • An electric generator 15 kW for general purposes
  • 3 Lancashire Boilers 30' × 8' at 120 psi
  • 1 Economiser with 192 pipes
  • Cooperage

  • 1 National Gas Engine 50 H.P.
  • 1 Grice Gas Engine 25 H.P.
  • National suction gas producer plant
  • 1 Ruston waste wood gas producer plant, coupled to both engines

Cooperage :—

  • 3 Jointing machines
  • 3 Stave tongue & groove machines
  • 2 Chimer & crozer machines - 1 attached to drying oven
  • 6 Magnetic bells
  • 3 Sets of standard pumps
  • 1 Head tongue & groove machine
  • 1 Head printing machine
  • 1 Head turning machine
  • 3 Punching machines
  • 3 Splaying machines
  • 4 Riveting machines
  • Power: see above
  • 1 Mather & Platt Sprinkler Installation

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Set small sheet bending rolls 3 ft. × 2½" rolls
  • 1 Shearing & punching machine ⅝" hole × ⅜" plate, 3½" shear × ⅜" plate, 12" blades
  • 1 Pillar drilling machine, 2 ft. spindle
  • 1 15 cwt steam hammer
  • 3 Blacksmith's hearths
  • 1 Circular saw bench - 12" saw
  • 1 Band saw, 30" wheels
  • 1 Lathe, 6" centres, 8'6" bed SSC
  • 1 6" × 9' bed ASC lathe
  • 1 10" × 14 ft. bed, screw cutting
  • 1 Lathe 29'6" × 12" centres
  • 1 Lathe 19 ft. × 12½" centres
  • 1 Lathe 16 ft. × 25" centres
  • 1 Small drill, pillar type, 1½" spindle
  • 1 4ft. arm radial drill 3'6" × 2'8" table
  • 1 17" stroke shaper
  • 1 Sheet metal guillotine machine, 3 ft. blades
  • 1 Small punch press
  • 1 Power driven emery wheel, 15" wheels
  • 1 Hand screwing machine up to 2" pipe
  • 1 Portable electric drill up to ¾" hole
  • 1 Breast electric drill up to ½" hole
  • 1 Breast electric drill up to ⅜" hole
  • 1 Portable electric welding plant
  • 1 Acetylene portable welding plant
  • Iron & brass foundry consisting of 1 cupola & 1 brass melting furnace capable of iron castings up to 7 cwt and brass castings up to 1 cwt
  • 1 40 H.P. Tangye steam engine

Peters Lime

Registered Capacity :— ?

Lime Kilns :—

  • 18 Flare Lime Kilns

Lime Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 pair 4'6" millstones

Power Plant :—

  • 1 18 H.P. semi-portable Clayton & Shuttleworth steam engine

The West Kent plant was more dynamic than most other Medway plants, and were early adopters of rotary kilns, but the early kilns were inefficient and were a drag on the plant subsequently. Like Peters, there was no scope for expansion and the plant closed for Portland cement in 1925, although the kiln was used for a while in a failed attempt at making calcium aluminate cement.

West Kent

Registered Capacity :— 1300 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Slurry from Peters
  • Originally Freehold Chalk and Medway Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • All Freehold
  • Old West Kent Leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil
  • Old West Kent £200

Royalties :—

  • Nil
  • Old West Kent: Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • 4 tidal barge berths

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Snodland, SE Section, Southern Railway

Permanent Way :—

  • Barge and private wharf belonging to Peters in connection with Snodland Station

Raw Material Preparation :—

    Slurry is supplied from Peters by:

  • 1 set of 12" 3-throw pumps (included in Peters plant)
  • 1 mixer, 58' × 32' × 17'
  • 1 set of 8" 3-throw pumps deliver to rotary kilns
  • 1 set of 12" 3-throw pumps deliver to rotary kilns

Cement Kilns :—

  • 1 Smidth kiln 151'6" × 9'0" & 7'10½"
  • capacity data not supplied
  • 1 Double Shell forced-draught cooler 31'0" × 5'10" and 4'6"
  • 3 Fellner & Ziegler Kilns 100' × 6'6"
  • capacity data not supplied
  • 3 open-ended coolers 32' × 3'3"
  • 2 Marcus conveyors receive clinker from the cooler and with elevator and tray conveyor deliver to a hopper of 140 tons capacity over the grinding mill

Coal Plants :—

  • 1 crane with grab discharges from barges and delivers to coal store by means of a conveyor belt.
  • 1 dryer 32' × 4'2" fired externally as well as receiving hot air from large kiln
  • 3 30" Griffin mills
  • The usual feed screws and fans feed coal to the kilns

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 set of Blake Marsden jaw crushers
  • 3 Krupp No.8 Ball Mills
  • 2 Smidth tube mills 17' × 4'0" charged with pellets
  • 1 Smidth tube mill 16' × 4'2" charged with pellets

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was a flat-bottomed warehouse.
  • Maximum capacity 6000 tons
  • Working capacity 4000 tons

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

    Kiln & Coal Plant:

  • 1 280 H.P. twin cylinder National Gas Engine with
  • 1 20 kW electric generator
  • 1 180 H.P. Crossley gas engine only used as a stand-by
  • 1 National suction gas producer
  • 1 Campbell open hearth gas producer
  • Grinding Mill:

  • 1 400 H.P. Cole Marchant & Morley compound condensing steam engine
  • 3 Lancs Boilers 24' × 7' @ 100 psi with
  • superheaters and 96 pipe economiser

Cooperage :—

  • 1 complete set of steel drum making machinery not now actually in position

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 Radial Drill, 4ft. arm, 2" spindle
  • 1 Pillar Drill, 2" spindle, table 2'6" diameter
  • 1 planing machine, 1'8" × 4 ft. stroke
  • 1 small lathe, 6" centres, 6 ft. bed
  • 1 shaper, 11" stroke
  • 1 lathe, 12" centres, 19 ft. bed
  • 2 smith's hearths
  • 1 10 H.P. motor for forge and fitting shop
  • 1 auxiliary steam engine, 5 H.P.

The Premier plant was operational at the time of survey. When running at full production, its costs were among the lowest in BPCM and the dry process kiln had a low fuel consumption, belying the commonly expressed belief of the time that dry process was of no advantage. However, the raw materials were limited and marginal, and the local market was small, so the plant was closed in 1928.

Premier

Registered Capacity :— 400 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Hard Blue Limestone
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold (30 poles rented)

Rent of Property :—

  • £2.10.0 per annum for 30 poles of parish land

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Road & Rail

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Irthlingborough, LMS

Siding :—

  • A 4'8½" gauge rail track allows of the coal wagons being run to the coal stocks, and a branch also runs to the cement warehouse. The siding is about one mile long, and joins the LMS branch line running from Northampton to Peterborough. Situated in the track is a 20 ton weighing machine, also a brick building for housing the locomotive.

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Hard blue limestone is obtained from a quarry about half a mile from the works by hand drilling and blasting. A steam loco hauls the trucks to storage sheds from which they are hauled as required by a winch up to the floor above the crushers.
  • The clay is dug from a pit close to the works. The trucks are hauled up to the crushing floor by a rope

Uncallowing :—

  • There is about 9 - 15 feet of uncallow over the limestone consisting chiefly of loam. An Erie steam navvy is employed clearing this, the spoil being taken away by a steam loco, and tipped into a disused part of the quarry
  • Clay pit. There is about 10 feet of uncallow which is worked by hand labour

Outside Plant :—

  • 3 steam locomotives - 24" gauge
  • 1 ¾-yard Erie steam navvy
  • 1 standard gauge steam locomotive

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One jaw crusher for limestone
  • One set rolls for clay
  • One Newell ball mill 6'6" × 3'10" long lined C.S. step plates. Charge 1½ tons 4" steel balls 40 H.P. @ 25 rpm, output 4.2 tons per hour to 50% on 180#
  • One Newell tube mill 4'0" × 16'6" long, silex lining. Charge 4 tons helipebs & 3 tons pebbles 75 H.P. @ 27½ rpm, output 4.2 tons per hour to 9% on 180#

Cement Kilns :—

  • One rotary kiln by FLS 98'10¾" × 6'10⅞" diameter, lined for 73'6" with 6" bricks, remainder lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity2726 cu. ft.
    Output50 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.18.4 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining1840 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.27.2 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd24.5%
    Coal consumption standard21.7%

Coal Plants :—

  • Dryer, FLS 3'4½" × 22'4" long heated both externally and internally by hot air from kiln, output 12 cwt per hour from 8% to 3% H2O
  • One FLS combination mill, 3'8⅞" × 16'2½" lined corrugated steel plates in bell section 4' long, and silex in remainder. Charge 18 cwt 3" balls and 57 cwt pebbles. 35 H.P. @ 28 rpm, output 13 cwt per hour to 15% on 180#
  • Powdered coal hopper holding 2 tons i.e. sufficient for 3 hours' run

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One FLS Kominor "A" 6'2" × 4'10" long lined C.S. plates. Charge 3 tons 4" steel balls, 55 H.P. @ 23 rpm, output 3 tons per hour to 67% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.17.5 5'4" × 20'0" long lined silex. Charge 10 tons C.I. balls, 95 H.P. @ 24 rpm, output 3 tons per hour to 8% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Flat bottomed warehouses
  • Maximum capacity 3000 tons
  • Working capacity 2700
  • Hand packing

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 2 horizontal Premier gas engines, 4 cylinders per engine, each cylinder bore 16", stroke 24". Maker's speed 210 rpm but running 214 @ 300 B.H.P. Last indication for two engines 825 I.H.P. Main drive by ropes
  • 1 twin-cylinder petrol paraffin engine direct coupled to a 15 kW generator 220 volts
  • 1 150 kW Vickers generator 220 volts, rope driven from main shaft
  • 3 Crossley open hearth gas producers, suction pressure system, with tar extractors, each 350 I.H.P.

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • Brick building with ground and top floor. The ground floor is 36 feet × 30 feet, and the top floor 30 feet × 30 feet. A portion of the ground floor is partitioned off to act as a Sack Foreman's office. Sacks are sorted and repaired on the bottom floor, after which they are transferred to the top floor.

Fitters' Plant :—

  • Brick building with iron roof, length 48 ft., width 30 ft. The machine tools consist of :
  • 1 small planing machine 4'6" × 2'6" table
  • 1 radial drilling machine 3'6" arm
  • 1 lathe 8½" centres
  • 1 gap lathe 11" centres
  • 1 power saw
  • 1 grind stone
  • 1 emery wheel
  • The blacksmith's shop is attached, 30 feet long and 12 feet wide. There are two blacksmith's hearths which are blown by a small fan. The fitting shop machine tools, also the fan in blacksmith's shop, are driven by a 12 B.H.P. DC electric motor.

Water :—

  • The town supply is laid on to the works for drinking water, offices and laboratory. Water for manufacturing purposes is drained from the quarries and surrounding land into a reservoir; a supply is also pumped to the works from the Ebbw Vale Co. Ltd. From the reservoir the water is delivered by a 3-throw, motor driven reciprocating pump to different parts of the works.

The Saxon plant had always been operated in conjunction with the Norman plant, operating the same raw material reserves. With Norman provided with a relatively efficient rotary kiln, there was no further need for Saxon's shaft kilns, and the plant was closed in 1927.

Saxon

Registered Capacity :— 1000 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Marl
  • Chalk from leasehold property (see under Norman for details)

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works & marl land freehold
  • Chalk land leasehold (see under Norman)

Rent of Property :—

  • Works & marl land - nil
  • Chalk land (see under Norman)

Royalties :—

  • For chalk - see under Norman

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail & Road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Cambridge, LNER

Siding :—

  • Saxon sidings, Fulbourn, LNER

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Marl is dug by hand and conveyed to dryer by wire rope haulage

Uncallowing :—

  • By hand, about 2 feet of topsoil

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 petrol loco 40 H.P. standard gauge
  • 1 steam loco standard gauge
  • 1 centrifugal pump and motor in quarry
  • 3 1-yard side tipping steel wagons
  • 5 ⅔-yard end tipping wagons

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 1 drying tower 49' high × 21' to 31' diameter with 8 ft. fan
  • 1 grinding pan mill, size 9'0" diameter with 2 rollers 5'0" diameter × 16" wide
  • 3 30" Griffin Mills
  • 1 pug mill brickmaking and wire cutting machine

Cement Kilns :—

  • 8 Schneider kilns fitted with forced draught fans.
  • Output (each)125 ton/week
    Coke consumption as rec'd27%
    Coal consumption standard22.65%

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 jaw crusher
  • 2 Krupp No.8 ball mills
  • 2 Krupp tube mills 16'0" long × 3'8½" diameter inside lining plates

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Flat store maximum capacity 4000 tons
  • Flat store working capacity 2500 tons
  • Silo maximum capacity 3000 tons
  • Silo working capacity 2800 tons
  • Loading by hand from warehouse
  • Loading by 2 Simons auto weighers from silo

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 horizontal tandem compound condensing 500 B.H.P. steam engine by Pollit & Wigzell. Diameter of cylinders 19 15/16" × 36¼", stroke 60", boiler pressure 100 psi.
  • 1 Vertical non-condensing steam engine 6 H.P. by Davey Paxman, diameter of cylinder 8½", stroke 10", boiler pressure 100 psi
  • 1 Horizontal non-condensing steam engine, 2 H.P. (Fitters Shop)
  • 1 15½ kW, 220 volts dynamo by Laurence Scott
  • 2 Lancs boilers 30' × 8'
  • 1 vertical boiler 9' × 3'6" (maker unknown)
  • Economiser, Green, 192 pipes

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • Sack drying plant consisting of:
  • 17½" Sirocco cased fan and motor 2½ B.H.P. @ 700 rpm
  • 1 blow-through heating battery, 350 lbs. water pressure in steel casing
  • 1 drying chamber (brick)
  • 1 dust removal plant with 20" diameter Sirocco fan and:
  • 1 8-B.H.P. motor, 1440 rpm
  • 1 bag shaking machine with interior drum in steel case
  • 2 sewing machines with motors
  • 1 bag filter with 24 sleeves enclosed in steel case

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 power hacksaw
  • 1 20" shaping machine
  • 1 lathe 12" centres 15'0" long
  • 1 drilling machine with swinging table and emery wheel

Water :—

  • From artesian well, 200' deep in Greensand by Evans Cornish steam pump

The lime plants at Blows Down, Burghclere, Buriton, Sewell and Sundon were the plants previously owned by Forders, which were taken over by BPCM along with the Sundon cement plant, while the brick works formed the nucleus of what became London Brick.

Sewell Lime

Registered Capacity :— 300 T/week shaft, 120 T/week flare (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk

Tenure of Property :—

  • leasehold - 60 years from 29/09/1899
  • freehold - about 15 acres

Rent of Property :—

  • £239 per annum, viz. £100 for right of chalk used for lime burning, £100 for rent of 9 kilns, £12 for site of 9 kilns, and £27 for 9 acres of works land

Royalties :—

  • By arrangement made in June 1916, 2d per ton is payable on all waste chalk sent from the works

Loading Facilities :—

  • Wharf alongside railway siding, 20 yards long, 3 yards wide for loading lump lime
  • Wharf alongside railway siding, 63 yards long 6 yards wide for loading ground lime

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Stanbridgeford, LMS

Siding :—

  • Sewell lime works siding Stanbridgeford, LMS

Raw Material Getting :—

  • By hand

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 Simplex loco

Lime Kilns :—

  • 6 shaft kilns, each 50 T/week, grey lime
  • 4 flare kilns, each 30 T/week, grey lime

Lime Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 Harrison Carter disintegrator "B" type, output 2 tons per hour

Power Plant :—

  • 1 42 B.H.P. semi-diesel oil engine (Tangye) diameter of cylinder 12½", stroke 20"

The Shoreham plant had a large raw material reserve, and it was decided that it should be re-organised for lower manpower and production costs. This was completed in 1933. In the late 1930s, it was decided to expand the plant seven-fold with the "state-of-art" wet process technology of the time. Delayed by WWII, the project was finally completed in 1951. Shoreham was the longest-lived if the BPCM plants listed, finally closing in 1991.

Shoreham

Registered Capacity :— 850 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works and chalk quarry held under lease expiring 29/09/1979
  • Clay land at Horton - freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Works: £100 per annum plus £10 per annum for each acre of chalk land (£34/7/0 at January 1924)
  • Ground rent cottages £18/12/0 per annum
  • Ground rent bungalow £4/0/0 per annum

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Warehouse is built with bins back-to-back and opening on to a loading wharf on either side, which is fed by a railway siding. At the south end of the warehouse, there is a platform for the loading of lorries

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Shoreham-by-Sea, Southern Railway (Brighton section)

Siding :—

  • The sidings are connected up to the Horsham-Brighton section of the Southern Railway. The railway company's siding has a capacity of 16 wagons. There are approximately 1½ miles of sidings throughout the yard, which connect up the main operative buildings, and at either end of the works are so arranged that coal or other material for storage, can be dumped on either side.

Raw Material Getting :—

  • The chalk is got by blasting in a quarry close to the works, the material being loaded into tip wagons and pushed to the washing plant by hand. The working face is about 150 feet high.
  • The clay pit is about three miles from the works. The clay is hauled partly by a motor winch and partly by a horse to the river side, where it is loaded into barges which are towed to the works by steam tugs.
  • The winch has a 14 H.P. Tangye oil engine, and there is a 9 H.P. Blackstone oil engine driving a centrifugal pump for quarry drainage.

Uncallowing :—

  • Chalk: there is approximately 9" of marl topsoil which is not uncallowed. There are several veins and pockets of a clay and sand mixture running through the face which has to be cleared. These pockets run in places to a depth of 15-20 feet.
  • Clay: there is very little top soil. The only uncallowing done is the grubbing of quick set shrubs, and sand pockets.

Outside Plant :—

  • Two steam tugs - one built by Vesper & Co., Ltd, the other by Thames Ironworks Ltd.
  • One Grafton 3-ton travelling crane fitted with 1-yard Westwood grab, used for the discharge of clay, coal, etc.
  • One 45-H.P. standard gauge paraffin Simplex loco.
  • Two compound traction type steam locomotives, with flywheel and gearing, standard gauge, by Aveling & Porter
  • One portable elevator - motor driven

Raw Material Preparation :—

    There are two sets of chalk and clay mills, the chalk being tipped into the first mill and washed into the second, where it is washed up with the clay. After passing through the screens it is elevated by a 25ft. slurry wheel and run into storage mixers :-

    No.1 Unit

  • No.1 chalk mill, screening area 28 sq. ft.
  • No.2 clay mill, screening area 30 sq. ft.
  • No.2 Unit

  • No.3 chalk mill, screening area 14 sq. ft.
  • No.4 clay mill, screening area 28 sq. ft.
  • The output of each unit is approximately 10 tons per hour and the total power taken is approximately 200 H.P.

  • One 25 ft. slurry wheel
  • One set of 10" × 8" three-throw slurry pumps
  • One set of 8" × 6" two-throw slurry pumps which feed the rotary kiln
  • One 52 ft. sun & planet mixer
  • Three sets of small double-armed mixers
  • Total storage capacity 450 clinker tons

Cement Kilns :—

  • One rotary kiln by Krupp 164'4" × 7'10½" diameter, burning zone 25 feet long lined 6" bricks, remainder lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity6472 cu. ft.
    Output105 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.2 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining3627 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.29.9 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd32.5%
    Coal consumption standard29.2%

Coal Plants :—

  • Dryer by Krupp 4'8" × 46'0" long heated internally and externally by hot air from kiln. Output 38 cwt per hour from 7% - 1% H2O
  • Combination tube mill, Krupp 3'1" × 26'0" long, lined chilled C.I. plates. Charge 4 tons 3" steel balls and 6 tons punchings and cylpebs, 96 H.P. @ 28 rpm, output 38 cwt per hour to 12% on 180#
  • Ground coal hopper holding 30 tons or sufficient for 17 hours' run

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One ball mill, Krupp No.8, 10'2" × 5'2" long (overall), lined C.S. plates, charge 2½ tons 4" steel balls, 50 H.P. @ 26 rpm, output 4½ tons per hour to 60% on 180#
  • One ball mill Krupp No.6 9'2" × 5'2" long lined C.S. plates, charge 35 cwt 4" steel balls, 35 H.P. @ 26 rpm, output 3 tons per hour to 60-70% on 180#
  • One Edgar Allen tube mill 4'8" × 26'0" long, lined chilled C.I. plates, charge 12 tons 1" C.I. balls, 130 H.P. @ 27½ rpm, output 4 tons per hour to 6.5% on 180#
  • One tube mill 4'8" × 24'0" long lined chilled C.I. plates, charge 10 tons 1" C.I. balls 120 H.P. @ 27½ rpm, output 3½ tons per hour to 6.5% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • 11 flat bottomed stores
  • Maximum capacity 5000 tons
  • Working capacity 4500 tons
  • Extractor screws, elevators & 2 platform weighing machines for 12 tons per hour
  • Hand packing

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Two 550 B.H.P. "Robey" uniflow steam engines, single cylinder, 27½" × 30" stroke, 145 rpm, flywheel 11'6" diameter to take 16 1¾" ropes. Suitable for 200 psi and 200° F superheat
  • Jet condensers and direct coupled air pumps to give a vacuum of 27½" Hg. Guaranteed steam consumption 10.8 lb per I.H.P. hour at full load
  • One DC generator by Crompton & Co., 350 kW @ 115 V, rope-driven from countershaft
  • One DC generator, 220 kW @ 115 V, rope driven from countershaft
  • Two Vickers five-drum vertical curved water tube boilers each of 4250 sq.ft. of heating surface, economisers containing 160 tubes 12'6" long and superheaters
  • Mechanical stokers by Babcock & Wilcox each of 98 sq.ft. grate area. Normal evaporation of one boiler from feed water at 90 deg. F:- 16,000 lb steam per hour at 220 psi and 220 deg. F superheat. Guaranteed overall efficiency 80%
  • Electrically-driven induced draught fans are fitted discharging into a self-supporting steel chimney 60 ft. high
  • Water softener by Lassen Hjort, capacity up to 20,000 lb per hr

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • All sacks are dealt with by hand. Drying is done under the rotary kiln cooler

Fitters' Plant :—

  • One lathe, gap bed, screw cutting, 14" centres, 15'0" between centres
  • One lathe, gap bed, screw cutting, 9" centres, 10'0" between centres
  • One lathe, gap bed, screw cutting, 7½" centres, 5'0" between centres
  • One radial drilling machine, 4'0" diameter
  • One 16" shaping machine
  • One power hack saw, 17" blades
  • Emery and twist drill grinder, screwing machine, grindstone, sensitive drill - all power driven
  • Smith's forge and blower
  • Acetylene plant and portable forge, and portable electric drills
  • One vertical drilling machine, swing table

Water :—

  • Water for power plant and works use is pumped from a well situated in the chalk pit. The pump is a motor-driven three-throw, with a capacity of 18,000 gallons per hour

The lime plants at Blows Down, Burghclere, Buriton, Sewell and Sundon were the plants previously owned by Forders, which were taken over by BPCM along with the Sundon cement plant, while the brick works formed the nucleus of what became London Brick.

Sundon Lime

Registered Capacity :— 250 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk (grey)

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Railway trucks (by barrows)

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Harlington, LMS

Siding :—

  • Private (Forders) sidings south, Harlington, LMS

Raw Material Getting :—

  • 1 20 H.P. Petrol Loco
  • 1 10 H.P. Steam Loco

Lime Kilns :—

  • 8 shaft kilns, total 250 ton per week (150 lump, 100 ground)
  • 8 flare kilns, total 400 ton per week (disused)

Lime Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 2-roll pan mill with elevators and sifter

Power Plant :—

  • 1 30 H.P. motor for grinding mill
  • 1 8 H.P. motor for fuel haulage
  • Power supplied from Sundon Cement Works

Having been operated during the brief post-War boom, the Red Lion plant was by 1924 standing idle, and it was not re-started. The chalk became part of the Bevans reserve.

Tolhursts

Registered Capacity :— 1000 T/week (1920)

Raw Materials :—

  • Freehold chalk
  • Medway clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works: freehold
  • Chalk quarry: leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • £125 per annum

Royalties :—

  • £475 per annum minimum

Loading Facilities :—

  • PC 1 S/S tidal berth up to about 800 T
  • 2 tidal barge berths
  • Chalk 1 S/S deep water berth

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Gravesend, SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Nil
  • Permanent way: 2½ miles of 4'8½" gauge

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 5-ton Grafton crane
  • 2 3-ton Grafton crane
  • Locos have been transferred to other works
  • 57 chalk wagons, 3 tons capacity
  • 47 other wagons for various uses

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 1 travelling carriage for chalk wagons
  • 1 set of roll crushers for chalk with flint picking conveyor
  • Clay is brought from wharf by hand pushed trucks holding 30 cwt and tipped with chalk into:-

  • 1 preliminary washmill 18' diameter
  • 1 intermediate washmill 18' diameter
  • Slurry is then elevated by wheel to:-

  • 6 screening mills 4'6" diameter and runs by gravity to:-
  • 1 mixer 60' diameter × 10' deep
  • 1 set of 10¾" 3-throw pumps deliver to kilns.

Cement Kilns :—

  • 38 Chamber kilns

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 set jaw crushers
  • Elevator to hopper over:-
  • 1 Krupp steel ball tube 13'1½" × 5'11"
  • 1 Krupp tube mill 26' × 4' charged with small balls
  • 1 2-compartment Krupp tube mill 26' × 5' charged with pebbles and pellets
  • All the above plant is electrically driven

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was six flat-bottomed 24' × 100' warehouses.
  • Maximum capacity 7000 tons
  • Working capacity 5000 tons

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 2 330-H.P.Belliss & Morcom compound condensing steam engines driving DC generators of 440 volts
  • 2 Stirling water tube boilers at 170 psi pressure with superheaters and 144 pipe economiser and fitted with underfed chain stokers

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 2 Smiths hearths (1 portable, 1 brick built)
  • 1 Pillar drilling machine, old type swivel table on column
  • 1 4' radial drilling machine, makers: Smith (new)
  • 1 Sensitive drilling machine
  • 1 Shaping machine, approx. 10½" stroke
  • 1 Planing machine, approx. 4'0" stroke
  • 1 lathe, 10" centres
  • 1 lathe, 6½" centres
  • 1 lathe, 5½" centres
  • 1 Power emery wheel, double, for 8" × 1½" wheels, made here
  • 1 Barnes milling attachment for lathe
  • Carpenters:

  • 1 size C.M.A. double slide combined chain and hollow chisel mortising machine complete
  • 1 Chain cutter grinding machine
  • 1 L.S.P. improved 30" fixed saw bench
  • 1 28" band sawing machine

Tolhursts Whiting

Registered Capacity :— ?

Washing Plant :—

  • This consists of a small washmill with the necessary drains, back and floors, also a rough grinding machine
  • This plant has not been in use for many years and would require much repair before being put into commission.

The Trechmann-Weekes plant was standing idle in 1924, after having been used during the post-war boom, and was not re-started, as the Medway was over-capacity and reserves were insufficient to warrent an upgrade of an inefficient plant.

Trechmanns

Registered Capacity :— 1000 T/week (1920)

Raw Materials :—

  • Leasehold chalk
  • Medway clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • £340

Royalties :—

  • £300 minimum, 1¼d per ton chalk after

Loading Facilities :—

  • 5 Tidal barge berths
  • Direct rail

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Cuxton, SE Section, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Private siding into works
  • Permanent way: 1 mile 4'4" gauge, ½ mile 4'8½" gauge

Raw Material Getting :—

  • ?

Uncallowing :—

  • ?

Outside Plant :—

  • ?

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 1 8 ft. chalk truck tippler
  • 1 pair 3'6" × 2' roll crushers with flint picking conveyors
  • 1 preliminary washmill for chalk only 16' diameter
  • 1 intermediate washmill for chalk only 16' diameter
  • 1 tube mill 19' × 4'6" charged with pebbles
  • 1 screening mill 16' diameter in which clay is added by means of 2-ton Grafton crane and grab
  • 2 small mixers 14' diameter × 7'
  • 1 set of 10¾" 3-throw pumps deliver to:
  • 2 mixers 30' diameter × 14' and 32' diameter × 14'
  • 1 set of 10¾" 2-throw pumps deliver to kilns

Cement Kilns :—

  • 22 chamber kilns which also dry slurry for:
  • 4 Schneider kilns fitted with forced draught and electrically driven fans
  • 1 wire rope way 675 ft. long delivers coke to the chamber kilns
  • 1 wire rope way 775 ft, long delivers dried slip to the Schneiders

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • 1 pair jaw crushers
  • 1 No.8 Krupp ball mill
  • 1 Smidth Kominor "C"
  • 1 "C" Molitor mill
  • 1 Smidth tube 20' × 6' charged with pellets
  • 3 Smidth tube 16' × 4' charged with pellets

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was a flat-bottomed warehouse.
  • Maximum capacity 7000 tons
  • Working capacity 5000 tons

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

    Wet mill & grinding plant

  • 1 550-H.P. compound condensing steam engine by Richardson, Westgarth & Musgrave
  • 2 Lancashire boilers 30' × 7' at 100 psi
  • 1 Lancashire boiler 30' × 7'6" at 100 psi
  • With superheaters and 112 pipe economiser
  • General Power

  • 1 150 H.P. 2-cylinder Premier gas engine with electric generator of 100 kW at 250 volts
  • 1 Suction gas producer plant
  • Spare power plant

  • 1 35 H.P. Hornsby horizontal gas engine
  • 2 small Hornsby gas engines

Cooperage :—

  • ?

Sacks :—

  • ?

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 2 Smiths hearths
  • 1 Pillar drilling machine
  • 1 Shaping machine 9" stroke
  • 1 Power screwing machine 2" pipe
  • 1 lathe 21" centre to swing 11'
  • 1 Power emery wheel
  • 1 Power hack saw
  • 1 Set plate bending rolls, lightly made, 3'0" wide
  • 1 Power circular saw
  • 1 Power band saw
  • Power supplied through 20 H.P. motor from main power station
  • 1 Mortice machine in carpenters' shop

Humber was the newest of the plants listed, having been commissioned in late 1921, and was acquired by BPCM in 1923. The schedule can be compared with the description in the 1924 article in The Engineer. The plant was immediately upgraded with a third kiln and extra mills, and the schedule was revised to reflect this in January 1926. The plant remained among the more efficient into the 1960s, but was eclipsed by the proliferation of efficient dry-process plants in the North, and it finally closed in 1981.

Humber

Registered Capacity :— 2200 T/week (1924), 3800 T/week (September 1925)

Data on land holdings were not included.

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail
  • Water
  • Road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Ferriby, LNER

Siding :—

  • 2 (revised 3) Loading sidings alongside cement warehouse. Private sidings from LNER into works.

Raw Material Getting :—

    Chalk

  • 1 Bucyrus steam navvy
  • 2 Steam locomotives
  • 1 (revised) Ruston No.20 steam navvy (spare)
  • 1 (revised) Whitaker steam navvy (spare)
  • Clay

  • 1 Priestman crane & grab
  • 2 40 B.H.P. "Simplex" petrol locomotives (1 spare)
  • 1 (revised) Ransome crane and grab (spare)

Uncallowing :—

  • Hand labour and tip trucks, horse-drawn

Outside Plant :—

  • Two (revised one) clinker handling cranes
  • One steam shunting locomotive

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • Two washmills (only one used at any time) for clay washing with chalk slurry, screening area 2300 sq.in., 75 (revised 100) H.P. @ 18 rpm, diameter 20 ft., output 60 (revised 120) tons per hour
  • Two Edgar Allen combination mills, 5'6" (revised 6'0") × 32'0" for chalk, lined C.S. step plates in ball chamber (12'0"), remainder smooth steel plates. Charge 8 tons 4" steel balls and 12 (revised 18) tons 1" C.I. balls, 300 H.P. @ 28 rpm, output 12 (revised 18) tons per hour to 10% (revised 8%) on 180#
  • Two Edgar Allen tube mills 4'6" × 20'0" for slurry, lined silex. Charge 7 tons 1" C.I. balls, 75 H.P. @ 32 rpm. Output 16 (revised 30) tons per hour to 5% on 180#
  • One (revised) Smidth Unidan combination mill 36'0" × 6'0" for chalk, lined with smooth plates with Danula ring. Charge 10.5 tonnes 90 mm to 60 mm balls, 7.5 tonnes 50 mm and 40 mm balls and 19 tonnes of 22 mm to 16 mm balls. 400 H.P. @ 18.5 rpm. Output 30 tons per hour to 7% on 180#
  • One 10'0" diameter × 5'0" deep slurry mixer between combination mills and chalk slurry pump, capacity 7 clinker tons
  • One 66'0" × 10'0" deep APCM type slurry mixer at exit end of pipe line, 740 clinker tons
  • One 66'0" × 10'0" deep APCM type slurry mixer, 550 clinker tons
  • Two sets of "triple mixers" for semi-finished slurry after washmill, but before finishing tubes, 350 clinker tons
  • Six finished slurry storage tanks, agitated by compressed air, 1500 clinker tons

Cement Kilns :—

  • Two rotary kilns by Edgar Allen, 200'0" long × 9'0" diameter, burning cone 75' long lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 6" and 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity9865 (revised 9820) cu. ft.
    Output142.6 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.14.46 (revised 14.52 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining4975 (revised 4964) sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.28.66 (revised 28.73) cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd32.2%
    Coal consumption standard29.0%
  • One (revised) rotary kiln 202 ft. long × 9 ft. & 10 ft. diameter, capacity 10,536 cu.ft., commenced work 27th June 1925

Coal Plants :—

  • One dryer by Edgar Allen 5'0" × 50'0" long, internally and externally heated by hot air from separate furnace, output 5½ tons per hour from 8.3% to 2.9% H2O
  • Two Edgar Allen combination mills 4'0" × 26'0", lined C.S. step plates in ball chamber (10'0"), remainder lined smooth plates. Charge 5 tons 2" steel balls and 7 tons 1" C.I. balls. 125 H.P. @ 30 rpm. Output 2.8 tons per hour 13% on 180#
  • Ground coal storage for kilns 1 & 2 of 16 tons each, equivalent to 7 hours' run
  • One (revised) Clarke Chapman turbo-pulveriser, capacity 7000 lb. of coal per hour
  • One (revised) combination air swept coal mill 9'0" × 5'0", charge 3 tons 2" balls, 5 tons 1" ballpebs, 100 H.P. @ 26 rpm. Output 2.8 tons per hour at 22% on 180#

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Two Edgar Allen combination mills 6'0" (revised 6'6") × 36'0" long lined C.S. step plates in ball chamber (14'0"), remainder lined smooth plates. Charge 11 tons 4" steel balls and 16 tons 1" C.I. balls. 400 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 9.5 (revised 9.0) tons per hour to 3% (revised 4%) on 180#
  • One Edgar Allen combination mill 6'6" (revised 7'0") × 36'0" long lined C.S. step plates in ball chamber (14'0"), remainder lined smooth plates. Three chambers 14'0", 15'0" and 7'0", charges respectively 16 tons 4" balls, 13 tons 1¼" balls and 6 tons 1" C.I. balls, 550 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 11.5 (revised 10.0) tons per hour to 3% (revised 4%) on 180#
  • One (revised) Edgar Allen combination mill 7'0" × 36'0", 600 H.P. @ 18 rpm. Output 12.5 tons per hour to 14% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • 12 (revised 13) bins with a total capacity of about 6000 tons
  • (In 1924) Worked by hand labour, at present, into two screw conveyors feeding three Bates machines
  • (In 1926) Worked by two drag scoops into two screw conveyors feeding three Bates machines
  • Hand-barrows from Bates packers to trucks
  • (In 1926) Six concrete silos capacity about 1500 tons each, into screw conveyors

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Nil
  • Power purchased from Hull Corporation Power Station

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • One sack dryer
  • Two sack shakers
  • 9 (revised 12) Singer sewing machines

Fitters' Plant :—

  • One S.S.S. 14" gap bed lathe 17'0" bed
  • One S.S.S. 9" lathe
  • One shaping machine
  • One power hacksaw
  • One screwing machine
  • One emery wheel
  • Three blacksmith's fires
  • plus revisions:

  • One radial drilling machine
  • One shearing machine
  • One milling machine
  • One hand keywaying machine
  • One circular saw

Water :—

  • One 6" Pearn three-throw pump 3000 gal. per hr. capacity
  • One (revised) 5½" Pearn three-throw pump 2000 gal. per hr. capacity

The Stoneferry plant was operational at the time of survey, but had become a rather small excrescence of the larger Wilmington plant, sharing its services, and with a cramped urban site, there was no point in keeping it going when efficient new plant could be constructed elsewhere. It closed when Hope started up.

Stoneferry

Registered Capacity :— 900 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Freehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • Nil

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail
  • Water

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Stoneferry, LNER

Siding :—

  • Stoneferry, LNER

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Chalk received ex Hessle quarry by rail
  • Clay received ex Barrow clay field by water

Uncallowing :—

  • Nil

Outside Plant :—

  • Nil

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • ?

Cement Kilns :—

  • 1 Rotary kiln, 99'0" × 6'7": burning zone 25'0" long lined 7" bricks, next 25'0" lined 6" bricks, remainder lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity2498 cu. ft.
    Output43 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.17.2 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining1762 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.24.4 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd34.5%
    Coal consumption standard29.6%
  • 2 Rotary kilns, 98'5½" × 6'7": burning zone 25'0" long lined 7" bricks, next 25'0" lined 6" bricks, remainder lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity2483 cu. ft.
    Output43 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.17.3 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining1752 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.24.5 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd34.5%
    Coal consumption standard29.6%

Coal Plants :—

  • One dryer by G. Fletcher & Co., 3'11¼" × 19'6" long, internally heated by coal firing. Output 3 tons per hour from 7% to 3% moisture.
  • Two Bradley 3-roll mills, 4ft. diameter, 60 H.P. @ 160 rpm, screen area 15 sq. ft., 50#
  • Ground coal hopper over each kiln sufficient for eight hours run

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One ball mill by Edgar Allen, 5'8" × 13'0" long, lined steel plates. Charge 12 tons steel balls, 220 H.P. @ 28 rpm. Output 9 tons per hour to 24% on 100#
  • One FLS tube mill, 4'8½" × 20'4" long, lined silex. Charge 9 tons Helipebs and punchings, 140 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 7 tons per hour to 9% on 180#
  • One Edgar Allen ball peb mill 5'6½" × 12'5" long, lined white iron bars. Charge 13 ton 1" ball and cylpebs, 200 H.P. @ 28 rpm. Output 8½ tons per hour to 9% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Nine bins
  • Total capacity 5000 tons
  • Hand packing
  • Loading into boats and rullies

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Nil
  • Power obtained ex Wilmington

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • Normal stock about 15,000
  • Sorting, cleaning and repairs all done at Wilmington Works

Fitters' Plant :—

  • One lathe
  • One drilling machine
  • One screwing machine
  • One emery grinder

Water :—

  • Town supply and river

The Barton plant had been somewhat ineffectively upgraded to rotary operation. The site, possessing massive raw material reserves, was considered for development, but the Humber site was developed instead, perhaps because of the poor landward communications on the south bank. It closed with the start of Hope.

Barton

Registered Capacity :— 600 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Hard chalk.
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Land freehold
  • Chalk quarry freehold, but reverts to landlord when chalk is removed

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • £400 each acre of chalk dug, minimum £50 (⅛ acre) yearly but can be worked off minimum any subsequent year

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail
  • Water
  • Road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Barton, LNER

Siding :—

  • Nil

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Chalk & clay by hand

Uncallowing :—

  • By hand

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 steam locomotive for taking chalk & clay to works - about 1¼ miles

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • Two 18'9" washmills used as mixers
  • One Bagshaw wet tube mill 4'7" × 25'5" lined steel plates, charge 5¼ tons 2" steel & 1" C.I. balls, 30 H.P. @ 38 rpm. Output 9 tons chalk per hour
  • One Bagshaw wet tube mill 5'3" × 25'5" lined steel plates, charge 5½ tons 2" steel & 1" C.I. balls, 35 H.P. @ 35 rpm. Output 12 tons slurry per hour to 8.2% on 180#
  • 3 stirrer arm type mixers 40' × 20' equivalent 120 tons clinker, each, adjoining kiln

Cement Kilns :—

  • One rotary kiln, 150'0" × 8'0" & 7'0", burning zone 30'0" long × 8'0" diameter lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity4536 cu. ft.
    Output75 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.53 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining2923 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.25.66 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd33.6%
    Coal consumption standard30.3%

Coal Plants :—

  • One dryer, Edgar Allen 4'6" × 31'0" long, heated internally and externally by hot air from cooler. Output 2 tons per hour from 6% to 2% H2O
  • One Edgar Allen combination mill, 4'0" × 24'0", lined corrugated steel plates in ball chamber (8'0") and remainder lined silex. Charge 4 tons 2" to 3½" steel balls, 5 tons 1" C.I. balls. 60 H.P. @ 27 rpm. Output 2 tons per hour to 17% on 180#
  • Ground coal storage for 25 tons, i.e. about 20 hours run on the kiln

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Two Krupp No.8 ball mills 6'8" × 3'10" long, lined perforated steel plates. Charge 2¼ tons 4" steel balls. 30 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 3 tons per hour to 50% on 180#
  • Three Krupp tube mills 3'10" × 16'6" long, lined steel plates. Charge 8½ tons 1" C.I. balls 40 H.P. @ 29 rpm. Output 2.3 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One Krupp tube mill 3'10" × 20'0" long, lined steel plates. Charge 9 tons 1" C.I. balls. 45 H.P. @ 29 rpm. Output 3 tons per hour to 3% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • 6 bins, 2500 tons bulk
  • 150 tons bagged
  • Filling & loading by hand
  • Loading into vessels and road transport by hand

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • No.1 steam engine 750 B.H.P.
  • No.2 steam engine 200 B.H.P. as standby for kiln
  • 40 B.H.P. electric lighting engine
  • 6 B.H.P. oil engine for pumping water at clayfield
  • 59 kW generator
  • 54 kW generator
  • 2 Lancashire boilers each 30' × 9', 140 psi

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • Normal stock 4000
  • No sack shaking or repairing done

Fitters' Plant :—

  • One lathe
  • One drilling machine
  • One planing machine
  • One screw cutting machine
  • One emery machine
  • One hacksaw machine

Water :—

  • From own bore well

The Wilmington plant had been developed piecemeal to a point where, due to its urban location, it could not be expanded further. It was ramshackle, even in 1924, had no raw materials on site, and costs were high. However, as G & T Earles' "home" plant, it had a charmed existence, and continued until closure in 1969, when northern cement distribution was reorganised.

Wilmington

Registered Capacity :— 2700 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • Clay

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works: freehold
  • Quarry: Hessle
  • Quarry: S. Ferriby

Rent of Property :—

  • Nil

Royalties :—

  • 2d per ton of chalk

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail
  • Water
  • Road

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Wilmington, LNER

Siding :—

  • Private sidings directly connected with LNER

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • Two roughing washmills each 3½ sq.ft. screening area. 20 H.P. @ 19.4 rpm. Output 20 tons per hour each
  • One roughing washmill 7.9 sq.ft. screening area. 30 H.P. @ 14.5 rpm. Output 25 tons per hour
  • Two Hammer screens, 14.3 sq.ft. screening area. 0.75 H.P. each
  • Two FLS No.50 wet ball mills 7'3" × 7'0" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 5 tons 4" - 5" steel balls. 80 - 90 H.P. @ 20 rpm. Output 20 tons per hour to 4.3% on 10#
  • Two FLS No.20 wet tube mills 6'2" × 23'6" long, lined C.S. ribbed plates. Charge 12 tons 1" C.I. balls. 215 H.P. @ 26 rpm. Output 35 tons per hour to 8.0% on 180#
  • One FLS cylpeb mill 6'2" × 9'0" long, lined C.S. ribbed plates. Charge 7 tons 1" C.I. balls. 120 H.P. @ 27 rpm. Output 18 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One cylpeb mill as above but lined manganese steel bars and charged with 7 tons ⅞" helipebs
  • Three mixers attached to Nos. 1&2 kilns, 315 tons total capacity chalk equivalent
  • Two 66ft. APCM mixers for Nos. 3 & 4, 1000 tons total capacity chalk equivalent
  • Two triple mixers for Nos. 3 & 4, 275 tons total capacity chalk equivalent
  • Four correction mixers for Nos. 3 & 4, 200 tons total capacity chalk equivalent

Cement Kilns :—

  • Two rotary kilns, 106'0" × 6'7", burning zone 30'0" long, lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 8" and 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity2640 cu. ft.
    Output40 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.17.36 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining1872 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.22.68 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd35.4%
    Coal consumption standard32.2%
  • One rotary kiln (No.3) 205'9" × 7'10½" & 9' 0 13/16", burning zone 23'6" long, lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 7" and 5" bricks
  • One rotary kiln (No.4) 204'9" × 7'10½" & 9' 0 13/16", burning zone 23'6" long, lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 7" and 5" bricks
  • Cubic capacity7659 cu. ft.
    Output125 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.32 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining4441 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.28.15 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd30.1%
    Coal consumption standard27.6%

Coal Plants :—

  • One Ruggles Coles dryer, 30'0" × 5'10" diameter, heated internally by coke fire. Output 2½ tons per hour from 7.75% to 1.9% H2O
  • One Smidth dryer, 45'6" × 5'4" diameter, heated internally and externally by hot air from kiln. Output 5 tons per hour from 8 to 1.8% H2O
  • One FLS ball mill, Kominor C, 5'5" × 4'0" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 2¼ tons 4" steel balls. Output 4½ - 5½ tons per hour to 52% on 76#, 30 H.P. @ 28 rpm
  • One FLS ball mill, Kominor G, 4'2" × 3'0" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 18 cwt 4" steel balls. Output 2 - 2½ tons per hour to 58% on 76#. 20 H.P. @ 24 rpm
  • One FLS tube mill No.16, 4'10" × 20'0" long, lined silex. Charge 4 tons 1" C.I. balls, 1 ton cylpebs. 36 H.P. @ 28 rpm. Output 4½ - 5½ tons per hour to 10% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.12, 3'8" × 15'9" long, lined silex. Charge 3½ tons 1" C.I. balls. 25 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 2½ tons per hour to 10% on 180#
  • Ground coal storage:- Nos. 1 & 2 kilns each have hoppers containing 7 hours run: Nos. 3 & 4 kilns each have hoppers containing 16 hours run

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • One FLS ball mill, Kominor No.50, 7'1" × 7'0" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 5 tons 4" - 5" steel balls. 100 H.P. @ 22 rpm. Output 7 - 8 tons per hour to 45% on 76#
  • One FLS ball mill, Kominor A, 6'7" × 4'8" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 3 tons 4" - 4½" steel balls. 80 H.P. @ 23½ rpm. Output 4 tons per hour to 43% on 76#
  • Two FLS ball mills, Kominor B, 5'8" × 4'5" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 2½ tons 4" steel balls. 55 H.P. each @ 25 rpm. Output 2¼ tons per hour to 39% on 76#
  • One FLS tube mill No.20, 6'2" × 12'0" long, lined manganese steel bars. Charge 12¾ tons 1" C.I. balls. 225 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 7 - 8 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.16, 4'10" × 10'0" long, lined silex. Charge 6.3 tons 1" C.I. balls. 115 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 4 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.16, 5'2" × 8'0" long, lined C.I. plates. Charge 6.3 tons 1" C.I. balls. 115 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 4 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.16, 4'10" × 11'4½" long, lined silex. Charge 8 tons 1" C.I. bails. 110 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 5 tons per hour to 3% on 180#
  • One FLS tube mill No.16, 4'10" × 10'0" long, lined silex. Charge 6.7 tons 1" C.I. balls. 105 H.P. @ 22 rpm. Output 5 tons per hour to 3% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • This was unfortunately missing, but the plant had a 2800 T riverside warehouse divided into bins, a 3300 T railside warehouse divided into bins and two 1500 T silos

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Brush-Ljungstrom 1500 kW turbo-alternator
  • 2 Richardson Westgarth 1500 kW turbo-alternators
  • 1 Siemens rotary converter 300 kW
  • 2 Stirling water tube boilers each 96 sq.ft. grate area 3841 sq.ft. heating surface with superheaters 334 sq.ft. each, and economisers fitted with Bennis chain grate stokers
  • 2 Lancashire boilers fitted with Triumph mechanical stokers, and with superheaters, one 31' × 10'3", one 30' × 9'9"

Cooperage :—

  • Nil

Sacks :—

  • 1 Rotary shaker for sacks complete with dust filter, elevators & dust hopper
  • 1 Star intermittent shaker
  • 13 Singer sewing machines driven by small motor
  • 1 sack dryer - steam heated by small boiler

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 19 B.H.P. national oil engine ( standby)
  • 2 Screw cutting & surfacing lathes
  • 1 Break lathe
  • 1 Radial drilling machine
  • 1 Pillar drilling machine
  • 1 Sensitive drilling machine
  • 1 Milling machine
  • 1 Side planing machine
  • 1 Punch & shearing machine
  • 1 Power hammer
  • 1 Cutter grinder
  • 1 Tool grinder
  • 1 Drill grinding machine
  • 1 Mechanical hacksaw
  • 1 Pipe & bolt screwing machine
  • 1 Slotting machine
  • 1 Set tinners rolls
  • 1 Set tyre rolls

Water :—

  • 1 Worthington steam driven pump for river water
  • 1 Three-throw 8" plunger pump for river water
  • Town water laid on all over works

The Penarth plant was operational in 1924. Some production also continued for a few years on Schneider kilns not listed here. The plant was consistently high-cost and relied upon base-load operation in a reasonably consistent local market. The plant finally closed in 1969 with the installation of Aberthaw kiln 5.

Penarth

Registered Capacity :— 1400 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Blue Lias Limestone and Mountain Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

  • Leasehold to 1965

Rent of Property :—

  • £397/8/2 surface rent only
  • £1319/14/4 rates last half year

Royalties :—

  • 6½d per ton of cement delivered, with a minimum dead rent of £805

Loading Facilities :—

  • Ex warehouse to railway wagons alongside on own siding

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Penarth (Lower) GWR

Siding :—

  • Own private sidings with direct access to GWR Penarth and Cadoxton branch

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Part hand got, part machine got by Ruston No.2 steam navvy. The former is clean and is sent direct to works. The latter is a mixture of shale, clay and stone and to render it usable is passed through a cleaning machine (rumbler). After separation the clean material is hauled in trams to works by locos, a distance of about half a mile

Uncallowing :—

  • A considerable amount of uncallowing is necessary, the depth of topsoil varying from about 2 to 6 feet. The stone is interstratified with shale and clay, the ratio for the last 6 months being stone 2.46 : waste 1.00 exclusive of overburden

Outside Plant :—

    Quarry:

  • 1 Ruston steam navvy - 20 ton
  • 1 Rees Roturbo pump electrically driven
  • 1 Rope haulage to cleaner electrically driven
  • 1 Cleaning machine (Rumbler) electrically driven
  • 4 Locos. (steam) 2'6" gauge
  • 72 Steel trams
  • 1 Rock drill - Cyclone
  • Usual small loose quarry plant
  • Works:

  • 2 Shunting locos. 4'8½" gauge
  • 1 Steam crane with Hones grab
  • 73 Wagons (completely paid up) suitable for main line traffic, viz: 43 10-tonners, 30 15-tonners

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • 2 Jaw crushers (Goodwin Barsby) 24" × 10" & 20" × 10"
  • 1 Set of elevators
  • 1 Belt conveyor
  • 2 FLS Kominors type 50, 6'7¼" × 6'11¼". Output 11 tons per hour maximum each
  • 1 Set of double chain slurry elevators (600 W bushed chain)
  • 1 Slurry divider (FLS)
  • 2 FLS tube mills type 20, 5'11½" × 23'8", output as above
  • 1 FLS Trix separator 3'2¼" diameter with a screening area of 15 sq.ft.
  • 4 Slurry mixers, each 3 sets of stirrers
  • 3 Correction basins
  • 3 Sets double plunger slurry pumps
  • 1 water pump

Cement Kilns :—

  • One FLS Rotary kiln 228'6" long × 8'10½" diameter, burning zone 34'8" × 10'1" diameter
  • Cubic capacity10,890 cu. ft.
    Output160 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.14.7 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft. cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd33.18%
    Coal consumption standard28.10%
  • One FLS rotary clinker cooler 12600 mm long overall × 1680 mm diameter, remarkably inefficient: forced draught fan

Coal Plants :—

  • One raw coal elevator
  • One FLS rotary coal dryer 5'2¼" internal diameter × 46' long, heated by superfluous hot air from clinker cooler. Output 3 tons per hour, heat applied internally and externally
  • One FLS Kominor type "C" 5'4" × 4'0¾", output 3 tons per hour
  • One FLS tube mill type 17.5, 5'5" × 19'6", output as above
  • Three sets of elevators
  • Six sets of conveyors
  • Four powdered coal hoppers each holding 45 tons
  • Coal firing fan
  • Dust collecting plant

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • This was unfortunately missing, but the plant consisted of mills identical in size to the rawmills; i.e. two No.50 Kominors and two No.20 tube mills.

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • This was unfortunately missing, but the plant had about 6000 T capacity of flat-floored warehouse, part divided into bins.

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 Horizontal compound condensing engine by Hick Hargreaves & Co., 2000 H.P.
  • 1 Horizontal compound condensing engine by Hick Hargreaves & Co., 300 H.P.
  • Power transmitted through rope fly wheels
  • Induced draft plant with motor
  • 3 Lancashire boilers 30' × 8'6", 180 psi, with Green's economiser
  • 3 Superheaters (superheater units)
  • Water cooler (lattice type)
  • 1 Weir type feed pump
  • 1 Pearns type feed pump
  • 1 200 kW 500 V DC generator

Cooperage :—

  • Hand cooperage
  • Capacity: 6000 casks p.a.

Sacks :—

  • Part mended by 2 Singer sewing machines, type No. 45K74
  • Part mended by hand
  • Cleaning by hand

Fitters' Plant :—

  • Electric power (3 motors)
  • 2 Forges - electric blowers ( motors included above)
  • 1 Lathe 10½" centres × 12ft. S.S.S.S. lathe with gap
  • 1 Lathe 16½" centres × 26ft. S.S.S.S. lathe with gap
  • 1 Punching & shearing machine
  • 1 Planing machine
  • 2 Grindstones
  • 1 Emery whee1
  • 1 Travelling crane
  • 1 Electric drill (portable)
  • 1 Hand drilling machine
  • 1 Acetylene welding plant
  • 1 Power hammer
  • Usual small loose tools
  • 1 Power hacksaw
  • 1 Circular saw for timber
  • 1 Screwing machine

Water :—

  • Town supply for power purposes
  • Waste from quarry pond for slurry when water is available

The Bridgend lime plant was acquired by SWPCC in 1907, and continued on a small scale until 1940.

Bridgend Lime

Registered Capacity :— 220 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Lias Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

  • Lease expires 1st June 1933

Rent of Property :—

  • £260 per annum

Royalties :—

  • Merged in above

Loading Facilities :—

  • Siding & Crane

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Bridgend, GWR

Siding :—

  • Own

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Hand dug

Outside Plant :—

  • Ordinary quarry equipment, trams, etc & crane

Lime Kilns :—

  • 2 shaft, 220 tons per week of "Aberthaw" lime

Grinding Plant :—

  • Nil

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Nil

The production of lias lime continued at Penarth, and in 1954 five new kilns were installed to make fat lime from Ruthin stone. Lime production ceased in 1965.

Penarth Lime

Registered Capacity :— 400 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Lias Limestone

Tenure of Property :—

  • Lease expires 24th June 1965

Rent of Property :—

  • Merged in cement works

Royalties :—

  • 6½d per ton

Loading Facilities :—

  • Siding alongside kilns

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Penarth (Lower), GWR

Siding :—

  • Own

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Hand dug

Outside Plant :—

  • Ordinary quarry equipment, trams, etc

Lime Kilns :—

  • 4 oval continuous, 400 tons per week of "Aberthaw" lime

Grinding Plant :—

  • Griffin mill

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • Cement works steam engine

The Martin Earles plant had retrenched after the war with two modern kilns replacing the sixteen first-generation kilns. The plant was above Rochester Bridge and its export activities were curtailed. The plant gradually degenerated into back-up capacity subsequently, clinker often being ground elsewhere, and lime manufacture becoming an alternate use of the kilns. The last clinker was made in 1967.

Martin Earles

Registered Capacity :— 2500 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • Medway mud

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works site - freehold
  • Part leasehold (Earl of Darnley)

Rent of Property :—

  • £273 per annum
  • £32 per annum (surface rent)

Royalties :—

  • £200 per annum minimum on chalk
  • £50 per annum minimum on clay

Loading Facilities :—

  • Rail
  • Road
  • Water: 6 Cement loading berths,. average depth of water 8 feet (springs), 4 - 6 feet (neaps)

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Cuxton, Southern Railway

Siding :—

  • Cuxton, Southern Railway
  • Permanent way 200 yds. 4'8½" gauge

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Chalk obtained by hand with the aid of blasting
  • Shortly a Ruston digger will also be at work getting chalk

Uncallowing :—

  • Uncallowing is done in advance by mechanical means
  • An "Erie" steam shovel was hired for the purpose

Outside Plant :—

  • 1 Ruston Hornsby 20 steam digger 1¾ yard capacity bucket
  • 3 20 H.P. Simplex petrol locos
  • 3 Grafton steam cranes (2 at work, 1 under repair)
  • 2 Grafton steam cranes considerably out of repair

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • Four roughing washmills, 22½ sq.ft. screening area
  • Two intermediate washmills, 22½ sq.ft. screening area
  • All run @ 25 rpm, the total power being 300 H.P.
  • Twelve Clarke's mills 4'6" diameter, 18 sq.ft. screening area, 6-8 H.P. @ 155 rpm
  • Output 58-60 tons per hour

Cement Kilns :—

  • Two rotary kilns by Vickers, 200' × 10'0" & 9'0", burning zone 36'0" long, lined 9" bricks, remainder lined 6" and 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity10,000 cu. ft.
    Output167 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.7 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining5012 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.33.3 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd30.7%
    Coal consumption standard30.1%

Coal Plants :—

  • One dryer by Newell, 5'6" × 45'0" long, heated internally and externally by hot air from cooler. Output 8 tons per hour from 3% to 0.7% H2O
  • Five 30" "D" type Griffin mills, say 30 H.P. each (three or four only used). Output about 1.95 tons per hour to 28.6% on 180#
  • Ground coal storage for 50 tons or 8 hours run on both kilns

Cement Grinding Plant :—

    North End set 1

  • Six 30" "D" type Griffin mills, 30 H.P. @ 190 rpm, output 1.6 tons per hour to 30% on 180#
  • One Krupp tube mill No.15, 26'3" × 4'11" diameter, lined C.I. plates. Charge 13 tons C.I. pellets. 130 H.P. @ 33 rpm. Output 7 tons per hour to 3.4% on 180#
  • North End set 2

  • Six Griffin mills as above
  • One Newell tube mill, 26'6" × 6'6" diameter lined C.I. plates. Charge 15 tons C.I. pellets 150 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 7½ tons per hour to 3.6% on 180#
  • South End

  • One Krupp No.8 ball mill, 4'6" × 8'10", lined C.S. plates. Charge 2½ tons steel balls. Speed 24 rpm
  • Two Krupp tube mills No.15, 26'3" × 4'11“ diameter, lined C.I. plates. Charge 13 tons C.I. balls. Speed 27 rpm
  • Total H.P. of above - 400/450. Output 7½ tons per hour to 3.3% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • The form of storage is not mentioned, but it was all flat-bottomed warehouses.
  • Tons in 3 stores:

  • N. end maximum 14,150, working 12,200
  • S. end maximum 2,450, working 2,300
  • Siding maximum 400, working 400

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • No.1 engine Marine triple expansion, cylinder dimensions: HP 15½", IP 24 5/16", LP 39 5/16", stroke 3 feet, speed 90 rpm, pressure 160 psi, normal I.H.P. 750, condenser: surface, vacuum 19"
  • No.2 engine, as No.1 except LP cylinder 39 5/32"
  • Standby lighting engine, Mather & Platt compound non-condensing, cylinder dimensions: HP 10", LP 17", stroke 12", speed 280 rpm, pressure 160 psi, normal I.H.P. approximately 90
  • Gas engine, Premier 4 cylinder horizontal, cylinder dimensions 20" diameter, stroke 2'4", speed 175 rpm, normal I.H.P. 530
  • Washmill engine, marine triple expansion, cylinder dimensions: HP 15¼", IP 24 23/64", LP 39", stroke 3 ft., speed 95 rpm, pressure 160 psi, normal I.H.P. approximately 550
  • 5 Lancashire boilers, 27'0" × 7'6" diameter, working pressure 160 psi. 4 fitted with Crosthwaite grates, 1 natural draft
  • Economiser by E. Green & Son Ltd, 320 tubes in three groups 8 pipes wide, pressure 160 psi
  • 3 Washmill Lancashire boilers, 27'0" × 7'6" diameter, working pressure 160 psi, with Crosthwaite grates
  • Campbell gas producer, open hearth type
  • ECC electric generator, 400 kW, 500 volts, 375 rpm
  • ECC electric generator, 320 kW, 500 volts, 375 rpm
  • Crompton electric generator attached to gas engine, 150 kW, 500 volts, 590 rpm
  • ?Mather & Platt electric generator coupled to small lighting engine, 70 kW, 250 volts, 280 rpm

Cooperage :—

  • 1 Printing machine
  • 3 Jointers
  • 3 Tonguing & grooving machines (staves)
  • 1 Crozer
  • 1 Saw bench
  • 2 Punching machines
  • 1 Tonguing & grooving machine (heading)
  • 1 Band saw
  • 3 Splaying machines
  • 3 Riveting machines
  • 1 Wire rope hand winding machine
  • 1 Wood hoop head splaying machine
  • 4 Iron feet for handling casks
  • 4 Magnetic bells
  • 1 Stave dryer
  • 2 Sets of pumps for hydraulic power to work in conjunction with magnetic bells
  • All the above machines in use. The following not in use :-

  • 1 Crozer (old pattern)
  • 1 Heading machine
  • 11 Old-type trussing bells
  • 3 Bells of very old pattern

Sacks :—

  • 1 Singers sewing machine

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 5'0" plate roll
  • 1 Sawing machine
  • 2 Centre drilling machines
  • 1 Emery wheel
  • 1 12" slotting machine
  • 1 8 ft. × 2'9" planer
  • 1 Shearing & punching machine
  • 1 Heavy lathe 11 5/16" centre
  • 1 Heavy lathe 10½" centre
  • 1 Light lathe 9" centre
  • 1 10¾" centre to take 20 ft. shafting
  • 1 Keyseater ¼" - 1½"

Water :—

    North end:

  • One set three-throw pumps Martin Earle, 72,000 gallons per hour capacity, motor driven
  • 1 Single plunger pump by Hall, steam driven 30,000 gallons per hour capacity
  • South end:

  • One three-throw plunger pump by A.C. Potter & Co.

The Wouldham plant was earmarked for modernisation and expansion. The six first generation kilns were still operable, although not always working, and were replaced by kiln 10 in 1930. Addition of kiln 11 in 1937 expanded the plant to 0.5 million tons a year. The plant initially survived the start of Northfleet by concentrating on sulfate resisting manufacture, but this was transferred back to Swanscombe, and the plant closed in 1976.

Wouldham

Registered Capacity :— 3500 T/week (1924)

Raw Materials :—

  • Chalk
  • River mud

Tenure of Property :—

  • Works site - freehold 21½ acres
  • Works site - leasehold 6¼ acres
  • Chalk site leasehold
  • Clay site leasehold

Rent of Property :—

  • Leasehold wharf £223
  • Surface rental quarry @ £3/4/- per acre: £156

Royalties :—

  • Chalk approximately 2.88d per cu. yd.
  • Clay approximately 1.75d per ton

Loading Facilities :—

  • By rail
  • By road
  • By water
  • Berths 1, 4 & 5: 9'6" springs, 6'0" neaps
  • Berths 2 & 3: 15'0" springs, 11'0" neaps, suitable for steamers carrying from 500 - 1000 tons, depending on tides

Nearest Station & Railway :—

  • Grays, LMS

Siding :—

  • Single sidings from main line into works, approximately 100 yds long

Raw Material Getting :—

  • Steam excavators (crane type)
  • 1 Ruston Hornsby 20 ton B.P.

Uncallowing :—

  • 1 Ruston Hornsby 20 ton B.P.
  • 1 J.R.Wilson (aged) 12 ton

Outside Plant :—

  • 160 4½ cu.yd. M.S.C. type side-tip wagons
  • 10 M.S.C. type side-tip wagons, enlarged bodies
  • 1 Andrew Barclay 12" loco
  • 4 Thomas Peckett 10" loco
  • 2 J.H. Wilson 7 ton cranes
  • 1 Grafton 5 ton crane
  • 2 J.H. Wilson 3 ton cranes

Raw Material Preparation :—

  • One roughing mill, 12 sq.ft. screening area, 160 H.P. @ 22 rpm
  • One intermediate mill, 29 sq.ft. screening area, 65 H.P. @ 22 rpm
  • One intermediate mill, 90 sq.ft. screening area, 65 H.P. @ 22 rpm
  • Four screening mills, total screening area, 576 sq.ft., total H.P. 130 @ 25 rpm
  • Combined output 80 tons dry slurry per hour
  • 4 Sun and planet mixers equal to 1700 clinker tons total capacity near kiln houses

Cement Kilns :—

  • Four rotary kilns, 100'0" long, burning zone 30'0" × 8'0", remainder 6'4" diameter
  • Two rotary kilns, 100'0" long by 6'4" diameter
  • Two rotary kilns, 141'0" long by F.L. Smidth, burning zone 30' × 8'0", lined 9" bricks, remainder 6'10" diameter lined 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity4202 cu. ft.
    Output71 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.16.9 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining2727 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.26.0 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd34.2%
    Coal consumption standard28.2%
  • One rotary kiln, 229'8" long by F.L. Smidth, burning zone 40' × 9'10", lined 9" bricks, remainder 8'10½" diameter lined 6" and 4½" bricks
  • Cubic capacity11580 cu. ft.
    Output200 cwt/hr
    Output per 1000 cu. ft.17.3 cwt/hr
    Surface inside lining5780 sq. ft.
    Output per 1000 sq. ft.34.6 cwt/hr
    Coal consumption as rec'd33.9%
    Coal consumption standard27.6%

Coal Plants :—

  • One Erith dryer, 5'6" × 30'0", coal fired, heated internally and externally. Output 3¾ tons per hour from 10% to 5% H2O
  • One FLS 3'11¼" × 39'4", heated internally and externally by hot air. Output 2¾ tons per hour from 10% to 5% H2O
  • One FLS 4'7" × 45'10", heated internally and externally by hot air. Output 4 tons per hour from 10% to 4% H2O
  • One Krupp No.8 ball mill, 7'0" × 4'0" long, lined C.S. plates. Charge 2 tons 4" steel balls. 40 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 3½ tons per hour to 54% on 100#
  • One FLS Kominor E, 5'5" × 3'3" long, lined C.S. plates. Charge 1½ tons 4" steel balls. 25 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 2½ tons per hour to 64% on 100#
  • One FLS Kominor B, 6'4" × 4'5" long, lined C.S. plates. Charge 2¼ tons 4" steel balls. 47 H.P. @ 24 rpm. Output 4 tons per hour to 54% on 100#
  • Two Krupp No.16 tube mills, 3'10" × 16'0" long, lined silex. Charge 2½ tons pebbles and 2 tons cylpebs. 38 H.P. @ 27 rpm. Output 1¼ tons per hour to 16% on 180#
  • One FLS No.16 tube mill, 4'9" × 20'0" long, lined silex. Charge 8 tons 1" balls. 72 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 2½ tons per hour to 14% on 180#
  • One FLS No.20 tube mill, 5'9" × 24'0" long, lined silex. Charge 13 tons 1" balls. 180 H.P. @ 22 rpm. Output 4 tons per hour to 9% on 180#
  • Over the 100 ft. kilns, ground coal hoppers 19 tons each
  • Over 40 metre kilns, a 17 ton hopper reserve equivalent to a run of 7 hours
  • Over the 70 metre kiln, one hopper reserve holding 17 tons or 6 hours run on the kiln

Cement Grinding Plant :—

  • Three FLS Kominor 50 7'7" × 6'7" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 4¼ tons 4" steel balls. 90 H.P. @ 21 rpm. Output 7 tons per hour to 51% on 76#
  • One FLS Kominor A 7'0" × 6'0" long, lined C.S. step plates. Charge 3½ tons 4" steel balls. 75 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 5¼ tons per hour to 51% on 76#
  • One Krupp No.8 ball mill, 7'0" × 4'0" long, lined C.S. plates. Charge 2¼ tons 4" steel balls. 68 H.P. @ 29 rpm. Output 6 tons per hour to 59% on 76#
  • Three FLS No.20 tube mills, 5'9" × 24'0" long lined silex. Charge 11 tons pebbles, 4 tons cylpebs. 220 H.P. @ 23 rpm. Output 7 tons per hour to 7% on 180#
  • One FLS No.17.5, 5'3" × 20'0" long, lined silex. Charge 7½ tons pebbles, 4 tons cylpebs. 150 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 5½ tons per hour to 7% on 180#
  • One Krupp tube mill 4'7" × 26'0" long, lined silex. Charge 12½ tons 1" steel balls. 195 H.P. @ 25 rpm. Output 6 tons per hour to 6.3% on 180#

Cement Storage & Loading :—

  • Flat bottom warehouse divided into 50 bins 50 ft. × 10 ft. × 27 ft.
  • Total maximum capacity 25,000 tons

Gas, Oil and Steam Engines, Boilers & Producers :—

  • 1 1500 kW Fraser & Chalmers turbo generator set
  • 1 600 kW Brush Parsons turbo generator set
  • Stand-by 160 psi
  • 1 700 kW Hick Hargreaves horizontal compound with D. Kerr generator
  • 1 500 kW Brush Co. vertical H speed
  • 2 John Thompson & Co. water tube boilers, 25,000 lb. capacity, 200 psi
  • Stand-by (160 psi)
  • 2 Suckling W.T.
  • 1 J Thompson (aged)
  • 4 Davey Paxman (aged)
  • Total capacity 40,000 lb. per hour

Cooperage :—

  • Capacity 4/5000 casks weekly
  • 2 Jointing machines staves APC
  • 2 Tongue & grooving machines staves APC
  • 1 Tongue & grooving machine heads APC
  • 2 Rotary head cutters APC
  • 6 Adjustable bells APC
  • 3 Non-adjustable bells APC
  • 2 Punching machines APC
  • 2 Splaying machines APC
  • 2 Rivetting machines APC
  • 1 Hoop repairing machine Ransom
  • 1 Thicknessing machine Johnston

Sacks :—

  • Shed capable of 100,000 storage
  • 1 Star Dust shaker
  • 2 Singer sack mending machines

Fitters' Plant :—

  • 1 18" centre lathe 34 ft. bed (W. Asquith)
  • 1 10" centre lathe 14 ft. bed (no name, very old)
  • 1 9" centre lathe 10 ft. bed (W. Asquith)
  • 1 6" centre lathe 6'6" bed (J. Archdale)
  • 1 12" shaper (no name)
  • 1 12" slotting machine (Ward Haggas)
  • 1 4'6" × 20" planing machine (no name)
  • 1 radial drilling machine (Archdale)
  • 1 Drilling machine (no name) very old
  • 1 Power hammer 15 cwt (Pilkington)
  • 1 Set Shears, 15" jaws (Butterfield)
  • 1 Screwing machine (Maiden) old
  • 1 Power hacksaw 6" (Peerless Co. USA)

Water :—

  • Purchased SE.Essex for boilers
  • Quarry water used for factory purposes

NOTES

Note 1. It is important to stress that about a year later, while searching through the barn that serves as my overspill document store, I stumbled across my own rat-gnawed copies of the Schedules. They were routinely accessible to all at Greenhithe library.

Note 2. In 1911, Hall & Co sold only their cement plant to BPCM; they kept the Coulsdon chalk quarry.

Note 3. Curiously, the surface area is more or less correct, but the volume is way out.

Note 4.

Note 5.

Note 6.

Note 7.

Note 8.

Note 9.

Note 10.

Note 11.

Note 12.

Note 13.

Note 14.

Note 15.