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Quarrying the Gritstone Edges

The East Moors have a number of gritstone quarries and delves, including those that produced millstones from the Medieval period to the 18th century.

An impressive quarry at Burbage Edge near Fox House, worked in the 19th century, with millstones or pulpstones in the foreground

These evocative sites, all cut into gritstone beds, tell much of the process of quarrying and include broken and abandoned domed millstones.  Some were left where they were being dressed as if the quarrymen were intending to come back the next day but never did.  There are also later quarries that provided good quality building stone but again have broken products, including cylindrical millstones and pulpstones, troughs and gateposts.

The gritstone quarry at Millstone Edge above Hathersage is one of the largest on the East Moors. Millstone production began in Medieval times and continued until 100 years ago. The large face was mostly created in the 19th century

Many quarries also have access tracks, ruined buildings, crane bases and tramways.  While quarries often lie on open moorland and can be easily inspected, it should be remembered that there are inherent dangers in exploring them and care must be taken.

Domed Millstones of the East Moors

Millstone production, along with lead mining, was one of the main Medieval and early Post-Medieval industries of the Peak District and the quarries around Baslow, centred at Gardom's Edge, were one of two main production centres in the region.  The quarries at the other, at and around Millstone Edge above Hathersage, have been extensively reworked in the 19th century.  Those at Gardom's Edge are intact. Abandoned stones can also be seen at many much smaller delves, and there is a good example on the north cliff of Carl Wark .

Abandoned domed millstones gathering moss in the oak woodland beneath Gardom's Edge, set against a quarry access track but for some reason never removed.

Domed millstone production started at least as early as the 14th century, reaching its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries and ceased in the early-19th century.  Although some millstones were undoubtedly taken into the Derwent Valley for local use, the majority were transported eastwards to inland ports at Bawtry and Stainforth, to be shipped via Hull for distribution to other regions of Britain.

Later Quarries

There are many later quarries, as for example those at Fallinge Edge above Beeley and at Millstone Edge above Hathersage.  These often produced millstones in the 19th and early 20th century, but these later examples have cylindrical edges and identical stones were commonly exported to Scandinavia to crush trees to pulp for papermaking.

Well known are the stacks of abandoned stones left at the northern end of the Bole Hill Quarry above Hathersage.  This exceptional large quarry was used to provide the stone to build the Upper Derwent reservoir dams in the early 20th century.  Stone was taken from the various faces to dressing areas using small steam locomotives, then down an impressive inclined tramway to Padley and from here by railway to the dams.  There is still much of interest to be found amongst the birch trees on this abandoned site.

This stack of millstones/pulpstones at one end of Bole Hill Quarry was abandoned in the early 20th century when this industry collapsed

The quarries around Birchover and Stanton still produce good quality building stone, some used to produce finely-cut ornamental details.

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