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Luke Adams' Lime Kiln
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TitleLuke Adams' Lime Kiln
DescriptionLuke Adams (1838 - 1918) was a master potter, based in Christchurch, who learnt his trade in England. According to his biographer Gail Lambert, he 'could hand-throw a six-gallon pot weighing more than 26 pounds and standing 20 inches high on the wheel, a feat requiring great skill and strength to execute.'
He also established one of the longest running pottery companies in Aotearoa New Zealand, which ran for 84 years, from 1881 to 1965. He is remembered for his contribution to the art and craft of domestic colonial pottery and the clay industry. A visitor to the Luke Adams display room in 1939 described it as:
'...well worth a visit; every conceivable type of stone and earthen ware is here in all the colours of the rainbow; butter jars, cream crocks, fancy table vases, bird baths, fountains, garden vases, jam jars, and so on in bewildering varieties of designs that vary from the severity of modern outlines to forms of decorative complexity'.
He won many awards for his work throughout Australia and New Zealand and would operate the potter's wheel at industrial trade displays so he was known to many. In 1896 Charles Kidson painted Adams' portrait in a picture called 'The Potter' which is in the collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
In 1896 he built and operated a flare kiln for the production of quicklime in Wyndale Road in the Malvern Hills. A flare kiln is loaded from the top and fired from the bottom, from where the quicklime is also removed. It is unloaded after each burning of a single load of lime, which could take several days, and is typically located close to its source material. Quicklime was used to make plaster, mortar and whitewash for use in the construction industry.
The kiln is on the list of Selwyn Historic Heritage sites. It stands at the base of a quarried promontory within a forestry block in the Wyndale Hills. The kiln and quarry are both protected sites within the Rayonier Matariki Forest.
DescriptionLuke Adams (1838 - 1918) was a master potter, based in Christchurch, who learnt his trade in England. According to his biographer Gail Lambert, he 'could hand-throw a six-gallon pot weighing more than 26 pounds and standing 20 inches high on the wheel, a feat requiring great skill and strength to execute.'He also established one of the longest running pottery companies in Aotearoa New Zealand, which ran for 84 years, from 1881 to 1965. He is remembered for his contribution to the art and craft of domestic colonial pottery and the clay industry. A visitor to the Luke Adams display room in 1939 described it as:
'...well worth a visit; every conceivable type of stone and earthen ware is here in all the colours of the rainbow; butter jars, cream crocks, fancy table vases, bird baths, fountains, garden vases, jam jars, and so on in bewildering varieties of designs that vary from the severity of modern outlines to forms of decorative complexity'.
He won many awards for his work throughout Australia and New Zealand and would operate the potter's wheel at industrial trade displays so he was known to many. In 1896 Charles Kidson painted Adams' portrait in a picture called 'The Potter' which is in the collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
In 1896 he built and operated a flare kiln for the production of quicklime in Wyndale Road in the Malvern Hills. A flare kiln is loaded from the top and fired from the bottom, from where the quicklime is also removed. It is unloaded after each burning of a single load of lime, which could take several days, and is typically located close to its source material. Quicklime was used to make plaster, mortar and whitewash for use in the construction industry.
The kiln is on the list of Selwyn Historic Heritage sites. It stands at the base of a quarried promontory within a forestry block in the Wyndale Hills. The kiln and quarry are both protected sites within the Rayonier Matariki Forest.
Connections
PlaceWhitecliffsMore InformationRead more about Luke Adams' Lime KilnRead the biography of Luke AdamsSee some images of Luke Adam's kiln in ChristchurchSee the book about Luke Adams and his familyRead more about inside the Luke Adams Pottery Display Room in 1939Read more about Luke Adams on the Canterbury Museum websiteSee 'The Potter' by Charles Kidson
More InformationRead more about Luke Adams' Lime KilnRead the biography of Luke AdamsSee some images of Luke Adam's kiln in ChristchurchSee the book about Luke Adams and his familyRead more about inside the Luke Adams Pottery Display Room in 1939Read more about Luke Adams on the Canterbury Museum websiteSee 'The Potter' by Charles KidsonAttribution
Researched ByDr. Ann McEwen
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Luke Adams' Lime Kiln. Selwyn Stories, accessed 27/05/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6731