This quarry is directly to the West of the station yard and was started
in 1871 by George Colledge and J W Keene on land owned by a John Smith, the
stone presumably being moved by horse and cart. In 1877 however they obtained
permission to build a narrow gauge tunnel under gardens to the station yard.
By this time the partners were operating as the Wirksworth Stone and
Mineral Company and were paying a rent of £30 per annum for the use of the
tunnel which was built about 1880, although it came into operation shortly
after this. Stone was tipped from the narrow gauge trucks into standard gauge
wagons close to the tunnel mouth
- see map
By 1906 the quarry was closed having extended to an area of 3.5 acres
and a depth of a hundred feet.
In 1920’s the UDC were using the quarry as a tip and in the thirties in
order to improve traffic flow through town the quarry was filled with waste
dust from Dale quarry and Harrison Drive was created. Since then the Fire
Station, Telephone Exchange and a Garage have been built thus removing most
evidence that it was the site of a quarry. We have however now revealed the tunnel mouth, rebuilt the
loading bay and recreated a scene from the 1890s.
This is located on the far left-hand side of the station yard.
See here.
