The Chalk Pit Inn

The Chalk Pitt Inn

History

'This 18th Century inn first started life as offices for the Chalk Pit. Accounts can be still seen in the pub and are dated 1793. Opposite the front door tunnels can be seen which used to support a funicular railway built in 1808 by George Shiffner & William Jessop. Once the Chalk was burnt in the kilns (which can also still be seen), the lime was transported down to barges on the river ouse. This lime had many uses, one of which was to be used in agriculture to make soil more alkaline.

The railway was an amazing technological innovation for its time and even with the arrival of steam railways leading to a loss of traffic on the river ouse, the railway survived until 1870 due to the efficiency of its design & the economic way of transporting bulky lime.'

The Chalk Pitt Inn, Lewes, East Sussex.







		The Chalk Pitt Inn History 'This 18th Century inn first started life as offices for the Chalk Pit. Accounts can be still seen in the pub and are dated 1793. Opposite the front door tunnels can be seen which used to support a funicular railway built in 1808 by George Shiffner & William Jessop. Once the Chalk was burnt in the kilns (which can also still be seen), the lime was transported down to barges on the river ouse. This lime had many uses, one of which was to be used in agriculture to make soil more alkaline. The railway was an amazing technological innovation for its time and even with the arrival of steam railways leading to a loss of traffic on the river ouse, the railway survived until 1870 due to the efficiency of its design & the economic way of transporting bulky lime.'