Location:
- Grid reference: TQ57407553
- x=557400
- y=175530
- 51°27'25"N; 0°15'56"E
- Civil Parish: Stone, Kent
Clinker manufacture operational: 1891-1914, 1919-1922
Approximate total clinker production: 380,000 tonnes
Raw materials:
- Upper Chalk (Seaford Chalk Formation: 85-88 Ma) solely from the Stone Court Chalk Land and Pier Co., from Stone Court Lodge quarry at 556900,174600, plus (1900 onwards) Cotton Lane East quarry at 556400,174800. No chalk was sourced north of the railway.
- Alluvial Clay from Stone Marshes.
Ownership:
- 1891-1900 Wilders and Cary
- 1900-1922 APCM (Blue Circle)
Sometimes called Wilders & Cary’s Works, it was started as a subsidiary of Macevoy & Holt. One of three plants installed at the Stone Court ballast pier, there were originally six chamber kilns (180 t/week). In 1894, addition of more kilns commenced. By 1907, there were 16 kilns, giving total capacity of 470 t/week. After 1900, its operation was unified with that of Greenhithe. The remaining plant was described in detail in the APCM 1924 schedule. Water transport was used exclusively. The site was entirely cleared: an extended Stone Court pier now serves a large container terminal covering the Albion, Greenhithe and Shield sites.
Power supply
The plant was entirely direct-driven by a single 200 HP double expansion steam engine.
Rawmills
The plant used three washmills - rough, intermediate and finishing - in series.
No rotary kilns were installed.
Sources:
- Primary Sources:
- Greenhithe Archive
- APCM 1924 schedule
- Ordnance Survey 1:2500 mapping
- BGS mapping and monographs
- Confirmatory Sources: