Forno da Cal

The production of lime played a key role on the island of Madeira, given its importance for several areas, particularly for civil construction. In the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, it is still possible to visit an important mark of this History, thanks to the Forno da Cal (Lime Kiln) that has been preserved there.

Built in 1874 by Roque Teixeira de Agrela, this kiln is located in Trincheira. Over the years, it has undergone several restoration and adaptation works, the first of which took place in 1914.

Although it was restored in 1960, it only remained active until the 1970s. Forno da Cal stopped working for several reasons. One of them is that, at a certain point, the island started to import lime that had already been processed. Furthermore, this decision was also driven by several complaints from the local population due to the odour and smoke released by the kiln.

In 1983, the City Council purchased this space, which was turned into a small catfish-drying business. Currently, Forno da Cal, considered a Local Heritage Site by the Regional Government, is part of the Câmara de Lobos Waterfront project.