County: Fermanagh Site name: SLAPRAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Brian B. Williams, Historic Monuments and Buildings Branch, DOE(NI)
Site type: Kiln - lime
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 603350m, N 844603m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.350097, -7.948460
This site was excavated as part of research for an archaeological survey of County Fermanagh. The work was undertaken on one day in May 1988, and was funded by the Historic Monuments and Buildings Branch DOE(NI).
The site is built into the bank of a little tributary stream of the Black River in poor quality land at an altitude of 500 ft above sea level. It consists of a small circular chamber built with corbelled stone walls some 2m in diameter and 1.2m high. The upper portion, or roof of the structure, has collapsed onto the floor. A small lintelled opening 0.5m x 0.3m, facing the stream, provides access to the structure. Just across the stream are the remains of a conventional lime kiln.
The structure was reported by the Ordnance Survey as a possible sweat house. It did indeed resemble such a structure in plan, construction, dimension and situation but the opening seemed too small for human access.
Excavation of the collapsed roof and of the debris on the floor uncovered more of the entrance. This was found to narrow down considerably to a point where human access would not be possible. Pieces of burnt lime were found on the floor of the chamber. These two observations led to the conclusion that the structure was indeed a lime kiln and not a sweat house.
