Kilns near Luk Keng [????- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Kilns near Luk Keng [????- ]

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Submitted by Craig on Sat, 2009-01-03 11:31
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Photos that show this place

2008

Comments

Submitted by David on Mon, 2009-02-09 21:47.

Hi Craig, I was up in this area yesterday, and took a look at these.

They looked like tunnel entrances in the photo, but close up they are very shallow entrances, just a couple of feet deep. If you stoop down and look inside you can see a chimney rises up. And if you climb up on top you can look down into a large brick-lined bowl above that chimney.

Here's a note about the area from the Dec 1935 copy of The Hong Kong Naturalist:

Here coral is brought ashore to be fired in lime kilns which stand behind the beach; curious little lumps of stuff like green bottle-glass may be found in the rubbish heaps near the kilns; these are formed by the fusing of sand and lime.

There is a good overview of lime kilns and the making of lime in Hong Kong  here.

Submitted by Craig on Tue, 2009-02-10 15:00.

Well done MrB.

Now that you mention it, it does remind me of the old kilns I've seen up in Hoi Ha Wan (Sai Kung park).

I only managed a quick look at the kilns as I was holding up a car load of people who wouldn't have been impressed with me disapearing into the hillside.

On the HK Mainland Defence book, I'm heading out on Monday for a long hike around Tai Mo shan and Tai Po, So I'll be keeping an eye out for anything of note worthy.

Submitted by David on Tue, 2009-02-10 21:46.

Craig, thanks again for pointing these out. I've walked along that road a few times and don't remember seeing these before - tell your fellow passengers their delay was well worthwhile!

And yes, as I searched for info on lime kilns there were a couple of mentions of them at Hoi Ha Wan, so I think they'd be similar.

I grew up near the coast in Wales, and there are still a number of old lime kilns along the shores there. Different shape but same purpose.