Stone rather than metal mines for a change, two of several at the top of Wensleydale.
There were once hundreds of quarries in the Pennines, now mostly defunct.
Although called ‘quarries’ on maps some of the sandstone ones were partly underground because the sandstone was deposited between layers of limestone.
This layering meant that for quarries on a hillside it was easier to get at the stone by burrowing in from the side rather than digging down from above, although many quarries were a mixture of opencast and underground.
Once the right type of easily splittable deposit had been found it was then mined for flags and slates with the lower quality material going for general building purposes.
While not true slate, which is different (metamorphic) stuff, most of the Dales buildings are roofed with sandstone slates.
Indeed grey sandstone roofs, although not unique to the Dales, are one of the most characteristic features of the landscape.
Of the older buildings only the more important civic ones and churches have ‘real’ slate roofs.
History. Many of the mines exist as little more than names on maps, with no history or pictures.
The two in this report are an exception since quite a lot is known, summarised in a 1985 booklet called ‘Burtesett Quarries. A Wensleydale Mining Community’.
Briefly, although sandstone has been extracted for centuries for local use, it only became an important industry after the railway arrived in Hawes (nearest village) and the stone could be exported, with trade reaching its peak in the 1890s.
Much of the stone went to Burnley and other expanding textile towns.
However the boom was short lived and both quarries declined after WW1 finally closing in 1931, with the tram rails lifted and everything salvageable removed by 1938.
A map of the two neighbouring quarries near Burtersett, with Seavy on the left and what was usually called Old Quarry on the right.
Seavy doesn’t appear on a 1854 map, and Old Quarry is shown as a limestone quarry with no levels (underground entrances).
Two photos of Burtersett workers from the late 1800s - some of these apparently came from the Swaledale lead mines which were in decline during this period.
Explore. If you’ve ever been in a sandstone mine you’ll know what to expect - dodgy ceilings and collapses, and there are plenty of these here.
Otherwise they’re just standard small stone mines, with piles of waste rock and the odd timber propping up the roof, with more waste filling up many of the worked-out spaces.
Seavy. Four levels are shown on the map, of which I found three.
From west to east, the westernmost one seems to be blocked and the next one didn’t go far - about 15 mins in and out.
A loading bay in front of the neighbouring level.
This ended almost immediately in a collapse with rails sticking out from under a pile of rocks.
A ruined dressing shed in front of the third entrance - this had some bolts in the floor, presumably for a saw or similar.
This level went in for a bit but collapsed before getting into the main workings.
Crawl space at the end.
A fourth entrance which is not shown on maps and leads into the same area as the last level but from the other side.
A view looking back towards the main workings showing dips in the ground above suggestive of collapse and indeed this short tunnel turns a corner and dies almost immediately.
continued
There were once hundreds of quarries in the Pennines, now mostly defunct.
Although called ‘quarries’ on maps some of the sandstone ones were partly underground because the sandstone was deposited between layers of limestone.
This layering meant that for quarries on a hillside it was easier to get at the stone by burrowing in from the side rather than digging down from above, although many quarries were a mixture of opencast and underground.
Once the right type of easily splittable deposit had been found it was then mined for flags and slates with the lower quality material going for general building purposes.
While not true slate, which is different (metamorphic) stuff, most of the Dales buildings are roofed with sandstone slates.
Indeed grey sandstone roofs, although not unique to the Dales, are one of the most characteristic features of the landscape.
Of the older buildings only the more important civic ones and churches have ‘real’ slate roofs.
History. Many of the mines exist as little more than names on maps, with no history or pictures.
The two in this report are an exception since quite a lot is known, summarised in a 1985 booklet called ‘Burtesett Quarries. A Wensleydale Mining Community’.
Briefly, although sandstone has been extracted for centuries for local use, it only became an important industry after the railway arrived in Hawes (nearest village) and the stone could be exported, with trade reaching its peak in the 1890s.
Much of the stone went to Burnley and other expanding textile towns.
However the boom was short lived and both quarries declined after WW1 finally closing in 1931, with the tram rails lifted and everything salvageable removed by 1938.
A map of the two neighbouring quarries near Burtersett, with Seavy on the left and what was usually called Old Quarry on the right.
Seavy doesn’t appear on a 1854 map, and Old Quarry is shown as a limestone quarry with no levels (underground entrances).
Two photos of Burtersett workers from the late 1800s - some of these apparently came from the Swaledale lead mines which were in decline during this period.
Explore. If you’ve ever been in a sandstone mine you’ll know what to expect - dodgy ceilings and collapses, and there are plenty of these here.
Otherwise they’re just standard small stone mines, with piles of waste rock and the odd timber propping up the roof, with more waste filling up many of the worked-out spaces.
Seavy. Four levels are shown on the map, of which I found three.
From west to east, the westernmost one seems to be blocked and the next one didn’t go far - about 15 mins in and out.
A loading bay in front of the neighbouring level.
This ended almost immediately in a collapse with rails sticking out from under a pile of rocks.
A ruined dressing shed in front of the third entrance - this had some bolts in the floor, presumably for a saw or similar.
This level went in for a bit but collapsed before getting into the main workings.
Crawl space at the end.
A fourth entrance which is not shown on maps and leads into the same area as the last level but from the other side.
A view looking back towards the main workings showing dips in the ground above suggestive of collapse and indeed this short tunnel turns a corner and dies almost immediately.
continued
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