Industrial History Online

Industrial History Online

Spinkwell Quarry

Description and History of Site:-
This was one of many quarries in the Crosland Hill area exploiting Rough Rock sandstone beds for dimension stone and paving flags. It was a large operation with at least 5 Scotch derrick cranes used to lift stone blocks out of the quarry hole and across the dressing floors. No explosives were used. Access into the quarry by the quarrymen was by ladders (called stees). The quarry had a mix of vertical faces and bench working. At its height of production movable tramway tracks were laid on two benches (lifts) to move blocks across the quarry to the side where they could be lifted out. Smaller blocks were laid on a flat bogey to be lifted out; large ones were chain-lifted. Waste stone was stacked behind judd walls within worked out parts of the quarry hole.
It has been totally backfilled and is now an industrial site. No precise start and end dates have been found but it was worked till relatively recently. Until 1911 it was worked by a partnership of John Hirst and Joseph Shaw who traded as stone merchants and quarry owners, also owning Old Park Quarry (WYK 00725).


Further Reading and References:-
London Gazette. 10 November 1911, no. 078.
Anon. Hard York Stone, a brief summary of the progress of Johnson's Wellfield Quarries Limited, Crosland Hill, Huddersfield. Privately published by the company, n.d. (early 1950s).
Johnson, D. Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines. Amberley, 2016, p. 56.


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Key Words :- open working flagstone disused

Viewing the Site :- nothing to see

Address :- Blackmoorfoot road, Crosland Hill, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 7AD
Grid Ref :- SE 116 147
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.628704 , Long -1.826071
Local Authority :- Kirklees Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site cleared - no above ground remains visible
Site Dates :- unknown - unknown
Record Date :- 21 February 2017

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson