A FRIENDS of the Lake District grant has helped restore a potash kiln at Stockdale, in the Longsleddale valley. Work was completed this week on the important feature which is more than 300 years old.

Potash kilns are an important historical feature in Cumbria as they were used to make liquid soap, which was used to wash wool in fulling mills.

Jack Ellerby of Friends of the Lake District said: "Features like the potash kiln are a vital ingredient in local distinctiveness and conserving a record of past land based industries helps us appreciate our evolution in the landscape."