page_title: Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns: Old milling machinery at Raffan's Mill
context_page_description: Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns is a heritage-listed lime kiln at Carlton Road, Portland, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1884 to 1895 by George Raffan and Alexander Currie. It is also known as Raffan's Mill and Brick Bottle Kilns Precinct, Portland Cement Works Site, Williwa Street Portland. The property is owned by Boral Limited. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 3 August 2012.
context_section_description: The two remaining brick Bottle Kilns (out of the eight built) c. 1889 are extremely rare and constructed in brick with iron ties and turnbuckles. These static lime kilns are approximately 14 metres high and 5 metres body diameter and are constructed from standard bricks to a thickness of 540mm. Steel clamping bands have been fitted around the body of the kilns at an average interval of 700mm.
  Located on the north west corner of Portion 52, the bottle kilns in close physical relationship with 'Raffan's Mill' c. 1889 - a small, single level, nineteenth century brick structure still displaying its mill grinding machinery. Also rare, the mill consists of three separate areas and appears to have been part of a larger complex. The building dimensions are 15.5 metres (51 ft) long, 12.7 metres (42 ft) wide and 6.4 metres (21 ft) high to the peak of the gable. The roof and half of the northern wall are sheeted with galvanised corrugated iron with all other walls being 370 millimetres (15 in) thick brick laid in English bond. The western side of the building has three large hinged door openings, with the northern end having been utilised as a general store. The southern end was once used as a blacksmiths shop. Internally there is evidence of a mezzanine level supported by 300-millimetre (12 in) timber beams, with windows and a number of unidentified operational openings having been bricked up. Through the southern wall, extends a shaft-driven system of wooden toothed gear wheels and four 1,200-millimetre (47 in) diameter Burr Stone Grinding Mills. The millstone grinding plant was installed between 1889 and 1895 to grind the cement clinker from the bottle kilns. It is of cast iron with three granite millstones. The large gear wheels have removable timber cogs held in place by pegs. Originally the plant was connected by belt to a small steam engine which no longer remains. Some surrounding structure have also gone.
  Together these groups stand as historical monuments to the beginning of the cement industry in NSW. This group has been classified by the National Trust and also forms a focus of the local LEP heritage listing. The Fenwick & Holmes 1993 study and the NBRS&P; 2003 study all agree that this group is of State significance as an intact remnant of in situ nineteenth century industrial technology.
caption: Old milling machinery
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