Description and History of Site:-
The quarry cuts deep into Stainforth Scar but is now very overgrown and partly filled with discarded limestone from the neighbouring Craven Limeworks site (q.v.), with a high-level tramway running along the scar and finger dumps indicating where stoen from the latter was dumped into this quarry. A level tramway bed links the quarry base with the kiln battery which consists of three vertical bowls set in a very substantial masonry structure locally known as the "triple bottle kiln". At the base of the battery three part or fully rock-cut tunnels lead to the draw holes. Calcined lime was barrowed through these tunnels to mainline rail wagons on a single siding parallel to the main line. Another tramway led from the quarry to an incline running down to the same siding, and the masonry drumhouse base survives at its top: this incline sent crushed stone downwards and brought coal upwards to the kilns. The kiln battery was fully conserved either side of the 2001 Foot and Mouth epidemic. The incline, drumhouse and kilns can be viewed from a heritage trail provided by the National Park Authority.A local trade almanac mentions a "Mr Murgatroyd" producing lime and employing "a great many people". He leased the land from a local landowner/farmer and the first first-hand evidence of its operation is from the Stainforth Rate Book in April 1876 when he was paying rent and rates on "land, quarry and tramway" but the 1877 entry only referred to two kilns in use and only one between 1880 and 1886 when the Rate Book noted that the site was "not profitably occupied". The site should properly be called the North Ribblesdale Limestone and Limeworks and the name of its manager was George Goom. In 1887 Murgatroyd gave up the lease which is hardly surprising as the kiln battery employed outdated technology and it can hardly have competed with the Hoffmann operation next door. In 1887 the manager of the Craven Limeworks (q.v.), W. George Perfect, took on the lease of the NRL&L company and he operate dtwo of the three kilns until April 1896 beyond which date the rate book has not been located, but the 1894 25 inch OS map marks the kilns as "Old Limekilns" and nother tramway is shown on the map. Thus, Perfcet probably took over the lease not to run the kilns profitably but to use the quarry as a dump for CLW waste stone. The 1895 trade statistiucs show no one emplyed by the NRL&L company.
Murgatroyd manintained his coal factoring business, based in Skipton.
Further Reading and References:-
Johnson, D. 2010. "Limestone industries of the Yorkshire Dales". Stroud: Amberley, pp. 83-84,117, 123.
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Key Words :- limestone quarry disused triple bottle kiln
Viewing the Site :- the quarry has no public access and is overgrown, the lime kiln battery is freely accessible
Address :- B6479, Stainforth, Settle, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SD 82348 66478
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.093897 , Long -2.271386
Local Authority :- Craven District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Scheduled Ancient Monument SAM
Historic England List No - 1020888,
Site Condition :- Site conserved
Site Dates :- c. 1872 - closed by 1894
Contributor :- David Johnson - 29 April 2016
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson
Grid Ref :- SD 82348 66478
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.093897 , Long -2.271386
Local Authority :- Craven District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Scheduled Ancient Monument SAM
Historic England List No - 1020888,
Site Condition :- Site conserved
Site Dates :- c. 1872 - closed by 1894
Contributor :- David Johnson - 29 April 2016
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson