Description and History of Site:-
The fireclay works at Ambler Thorn, on the valley floor, produced sanitary ware and ceramic pipes, chimney pots and firebrick, using raw materials from a variety of sources: on the hillside above the old works is the quarried ground where fireclay within the Coal Measures was obtained locally. The ground is pockmarked with a sort of hills and hollows landscape and an old trackway down to the production area. Raw material was also brought in from the company's workings in the now disused Dog and Gun Quarry at Oxenholme, at Denholme, and in Shibden Vale where work ended c. 2010 - fireclay had been worked here for about 200 years. This latter source of clay was found ideal for making glasshouse refractory pots. Ganister sourced locally was used to make furnace brick. All traces of the old plant have long gone but the company still exists on site (2015), operating as Parkinson-Spencer Refractories Ltd, making refractories for the glass industry. Ambler Thorn began in or around 1800 and is still operational using modern plant.

Further Reading and References:-
Johnson, D. Quarrying in the Yorkshire Pennines. Amberley, 2016, p.65.

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Key Words :- fireclay firebricks

Viewing the Site :- Accessible on public rights of way.

Address :- Queensbury, West Yorkshire, HX3 6SX
Grid Ref :- SE 089 294
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.760881 , Long -1.866481
Local Authority :- Calderdale Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Earthworks only
Site Dates :- c.1800 - unknown
Record Date :- 13 February 2017

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