Description and History of Site:-
This is a single-bench limestone quarry, laid out in a linear manner with a connection at the west end into the former Redmire Quarry and by an underbridge to the disused Preston-under-Scar quarry at the east end. It uses modern extraction methods - blasting and dumper transport to the processing plant - and produces crushed stone.It was opened up, originally as a totally discrete operation from the neighbouring Redmire Quarry, in 1947 by Dorman Long but the two were physically and operationally merged when the steel industry was nationalised. For several years Wensley Quarry had no processing plant so all stone was trucked to plant in the neighbouring Preston-under-Scar Quarry by means of a tunnel under the Tank Road. In 1971 the quarry was shut down but reopened in 1988 when Tarmac took on operations here, as in Redmire Quarry: two-thirds of output went to the steel plant at Redcar on Teesside, the rest as aggregates. Processing plant was installed in Wensley Quarry at this time. When Redcar was mothballed in 2010 the quarry lost its prime market and output fell at a drop from 450,000t pa to 180,000t and the workforce was cut to only five personnel. It still operates producing aggregates and limestone dust.
Further Reading and References:-
Johnson, D . 2010. Limestone industries of the Yorkshire Dales. Stroud: Amberley, pp. 201, 204-07, 230, 238
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Key Words :- operational limestone quarry
Viewing the Site :- visible from the Redmire to Catterick road. No internal public access
Address :- 'The Tank Road', Preston-under-Scar, Leyburn, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SE 055 923
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.326246 , Long -1.916938
Local Authority :- Richmondshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1947 - still in use
Contributor :- David Johnson - 8 January 2018
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson
Grid Ref :- SE 055 923
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.326246 , Long -1.916938
Local Authority :- Richmondshire District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - North Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1947 - still in use
Contributor :- David Johnson - 8 January 2018
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © David Johnson