Why Are These Ruins All Over The UK?

They’re scattered across the British landscape; strange, stone-built ruins that look like archways or store rooms. Most people pass them without a second thought, but they were once a vital part of life across the UK before being abandoned in their thousands.

In this video we explore one of the most impressive examples of these abandoned lime kilns and try to answer the big questions - why were they built everywhere, and why were they left behind?

Along the way, I visit the towering Coldstones Cut, an unusual sculpture with views across the Dales. Whilst there, I stumbled across something unexpected - a clue pointing to another mystery known as Yorke’s Folly, so of course we had to investigate…

📍 Featured Locations: Toft Gate Lime Kiln, Coldstones Cut, Yorke’s Folly

Chapters
00:00 - What Are These Abandoned Ruins?
00:42 - What Is a Lime Kiln?
01:31 - Why Were So Many Abandoned?
02:52 - Toft Gate Lime Kiln & How It Worked
07:29 - The Flue & Chimney
10:36 - What Is That on the Hill?
14:23 - Discovering The Coldstones Cut
17:00 - A Compass Points to Yorke’s Folly
18:38 - Journey to Yorke’s Folly
20:03 - Exploring Yorke’s Folly & Hidden Book
25:21 - Outro: Where to Next?

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