IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
The Circle, IPSWICH, IP6 0FE

This landmark has recently been demolished. It was 120 m high and was built in 1966. For more details, see http://www.cementkilns.co.uk/cement_kiln_masons.html.

I notice from Google Maps that this site has now been cleared so I thought I'd dig out a few old photos. This cement plant commenced operation in 1913. Kiln 5 commenced operation in 1966: it was 500 ft (152 m) in length, 14'6" (4.42 m) in diameter, and produced around 1100 tonnes of Portland cement clinker per day, using the "wet process". The plant ceased operation in 1999. For more details, see [http://www.cementkilns.co.uk/cement_kiln_masons.html].

At the junction with the B1113 Bramford Road

Looking towards the junction with Chapel Lane at the junction with Addison Way

The path seems little used and overgrown. This is probably for a variety of reasons. The B roads are poorly served with paths, there is an industrial estate alongside and a large working quarry nearby.

At the junction with Addison Way

This plant used the "wet process" in which the raw materials were ground together with water to produce a slurry with approximately the consistency of paint. The slurry was then fed to the kiln which successively dried, calcined and sintered it at 1400°C to form Portland cement clinker. The raw materials here were Upper Chalk and Boulder Clay from quarries in Image The slurry contained around 32% of water by mass: this had to be evaporated, at significant energy-cost. Because of this, wet process plants have been progressively phased out over the last thirty years. There are currently (2008) only three wet-process cement kilns left in operation in the British Isles. For more details, see http://www.cementkilns.co.uk/cement_kiln_masons.html. 2009 Update: there are now no wet process kilns left: the last one (Westbury Kiln 2 Image) shut down in 2009.