A heritage assessment was undertaken on the historic features associated with a chalk spine, known as Lawn Road Spine, which lies between the town of Northfleet, Kent and the southern shore of the River Thames. The remains of the former washmill building lie against the western side of a chalk spine, known as Lawn Road Spine. These remains were photographed and recorded. The structure had undergone significant demolition since 1926 when it was decommissioned due to a redevelopment of the cement works. As a result only a small part of the original building, namely the north eastern corner of the building was recorded although it is possible that further below ground remains survive to the south. It is thought that the remains formerly comprised part of an engine house or similar, designed and built between 1885 and 1898 with the purpose of serving
a series of agitation tanks which either washed the freshly quarried chalk or mixing the washed chalk, clay and water to produce ‘slurry’. The building served the Bevan’s Cement Works during a time of significant change both in the administrative and technological development of the cement industry. When the subject building was built, the cement was fired in bottle kilns owned and operated by Bevans and Sons. By the time it was decommissioned and largely demolished, the firing process was undertaken in enormous rotary kilns under the umbrella company Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers. During this time the works had undergone wholesale change, firstly during the period between1903 and 1909 when the conversion from bottle to rotary kilns took place and again in 1925/6 when the works were totally modernised. As such these remains represent some of the few surviving elements of the works during that period although other areas of the cement factory are well documented in photographs taken during various stages of redevelopment, held within the Lafarge Tarmac archive. (1)

<1> Heritage Collective, 2014, Historic building record report, Washmill building remains, former Northfleet Cement Works, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE31500.