Irish Sea Lime Trade - by David Johnson (Paperback)

About the Book

A lavishly illustrated exploration of the history of the lime trade in the Irish Sea. David Johnson has spent years researching it in the field and in archive centres and been amazed by its scale and geographical extent.

Book Synopsis

Quarrying of limestone and converting it to quicklime was a major industry around the Irish Sea coasts for many centuries, and it is an aspect of these islands' industrial legacy that has received little attention. David Johnson has spent years researching it in the field and in archive centres and has been amazed by its scale and geographical extent. Up to the nineteenth century, quicklime was shipped from Gower and south Pembrokeshire across the Bristol Channel to Devon, and limestone was shipped from both source areas to coastal lime kilns all along the west coast of Wales from north Pembrokeshire to the Lleyn Peninsula. Limestone was quarried and shipped from Anglesey to, for example, Harlech Castle when it was first built, and to the Mersey, as well as from North Wales to the Dee and Mersey estuaries. There was a major trade in limestone from west Cumbria to what is now Dumfries and Galloway and to and from the Isle of Man, and across the Irish Sea to and from ports all the way from Galway, round the south and east Irish coasts as far north as Ulster. Most recently, and still surviving, is the export of limestone from North Wales to southern England and Scandinavia.

Thoroughly researched and with fascinating images, David Johnson reveals the little-known story of the Irish Sea lime trade.

Review Quotes

'In his attractively-presented book, Johnson takes us on a tour from South Pembrokeshire up to the Solway Firth, and across to the Isle of Man and Ireland. The author uses colour pictures and vivid descriptions to lead us to places where remnants of the Irish Sea lime trade can still be spotted, and tells the stories of the individual locations.'--Nautilus Telegraph Magazine, July/ August 2025

'This is a valuable addition to the story of Britain and Ireland's maritime past - one that will appeal to anyone with an interest in coastal history, trade, or the legacy of working landscapes.'--Sea Breezes Magazine, August 2025

About the Author

Dr. David Johnson is a geographer and landscape archaeologist, based in the Yorkshire Dales, who specializes in vernacular uses of upland landscapes and has lectured and written on various aspects. Among his publications are Limestone Industries of the Yorkshire Dales, Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines, and An Improving Prospect? A History of Agricultural Change in Cumbria, all published by Amberley.