Description and History of Site:-
A large quarry working Yoredale Sandstone flagstone beds, consisting of an earlier open quarry hole, with a rear, northern, working face and a later level cut into the hillside. The level is 2.7-3.5m wide width a height of between 3.1m and 4m. It runs in a straight line for 64m before turning left through a right angle for a further 6m to then open out into a large mine chamber 9m east-west by 6m north-south with a height of 3-4m. The north-east corner of the chamber is supported by a large stone-built pillar, one of several. The contributor has estimated that c. 900m cubic metres of stone have been taken out of the level and chamber. The level still has the imprints of broad-gauge rail sleepers. Outside the level there are remains of the dressing floor, a roadway, flat-topped discard piles, and a stack of abandoned, large semi-dressed flagstones measuring as much as 1m by 1.5m. Though it produced good-quality building stone, the flagstone was of a lower quality being markedly ripple marked. It also marketed flagstone dairy slabs, cisterns and shelving. It is thought to have declined in the early 20th century and effectively shut down as a commercial operation soon after. It is shown on the 1810 enclosure map but its date of inception is unknown. Records show that it was being worked for building and walling stone by the 1750s though the underground working must date from no earlier than the mid 19th century.

Further Reading and References:-
I. Spensley. Mines and miners of Wensleydale. Privately published, 2014, pp.300-302
Johnson, D. Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines. Amberley, 2016, p.41.

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Key Words :- dimension stone roofing stone quarry mine

Viewing the Site :- accessible from two adjacent PRoW; the quarry itself has Open Access

Address :- Carperby, Leyburn, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SD 999 902
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.307401 , Long -2.003039
Local Authority :- Richmondshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site disused - but otherwise substantially intact
Site Dates :- c1750 - unknown
Record Date :- 1 December 2016

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