Description and History of Site:-
Today Coldstones is a very large quarry, at least 600x600m in surface area, and it has always been worked in a series of benches, with the highest bench being a layer of sandstone which has first to be stripped off before the limestone can be accessed. It claims to be one of the highest quarries in England at 400m AOD. It has the usual modern crushing and screening plant and a tar-coating facility, and a special road was built to keep lorries out of Greenhow village. The earliest record of limestone working here dates from before 1825 when Mark Dinsdale was sent here to work in the lime kilns. Trade directories for 1830 and 1834 note Grange Ward of Bridgehouse working here as a commercial limeburner while one for 1848 notes Christopher Daggitt and John Daggitt working at separate sites as commercial limeburners. This family still worked here in 1857. There was a lull in production and operation until c. 1897 when Elisha Newbould was running the incipient quarry followed by Henry Newbould by 1902; he employed 14 here. However, this venture collapsed less than two years later and the quarry was split into two ventures but these also failed probably because of high transport costs. In the late 1920s the two quarries were closed down. In 1929 the county council reopened it to provide themselves with cheap roadstone. In 1931 Nidderdale Quarries Ltd of Harrogate was formed to produce aggregate for making concrete and to boost tarmacadam output. In 1964 production of concrete blocks began and new tar-coating plant was erected in 1979.

In 1982 the Pioneer Group acquired the site and undertook a major investment programme from 1986 widening the product range and boosting output significantly. In 1992 consent was secured for a further 20 years of quarrying here. It is now operated by Hanson Aggregates.

Further Reading and References:-
Johnson, D. 2010. Limestone industries of the Yorkshire Dales. Stroud: Amberley, pp. 194-95, 234, 236.

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Key Words :- operational limestone quarry

Viewing the Site :- The whole quarry is visible from a public viewing area, called The Coldstones Cut, east of the quarry and accessible along a new dedicated footpath.

Address :- B6265, Greenhow, Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, HG3 5JQ
Grid Ref :- SE 122 640
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.071791 , Long -1.815058
Local Authority :- Harrogate Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1825 -
Record Date :- 17 January 2018

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