When Marple Lime Kilns were built more than 200 years ago, Samuel Oldknow was determined they would be extraordinary. Not only would they create a whole new industry in Marple - burning and transporting limestone that was dug from from high up in the Peak Forest - but they would look beautiful, too.
Dramatic, gothic facades, tall chimneys and carved stone - the finished structure (built in several stages from 1797 -1801) looked more like a castle than a place of work.
These days only romantic ruins remain. But the community his empire cultivated continues, on the beautiful banks of the Peak Forest Canal.
