Monument record 8460/2 - C20th Ironstone Quarrying, South Pits (Cranford Ironstone Co., Cranford Ironstone Co.Ltd)

Also Includes Five Willows Pit.

{1} The earliest quarrying at Cranford was to the west and south of the village. Exhaustion of the surface stone at Cranford West led to their abandonment and the transfer in 1898 of activity to the new east site. From 1900 quarrying south of the Thrapston Road began. The area was reached by a tramway extension that tunnelled beneath the road to land leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (Cranford Glebe), the Duke of Buccleuch (later becoming the Cranford Manor Estate), Sir John Robinson and Geddington Poors Charity. There were three pit faces Cranford South Pit (from 1900), Five Willows Pit (from 1902) and Middle Pit (from 1904). Production all went to the joint owners’ furnaces at Staveley and Alfreton. Wagons were wooden end-tippers holding a ton of ore, these were all sold off in 1924 presumably at the end of the narrow gauge operation. At the end of WWI demand fell generally, but at Cranford fresh leases for 40 years were granted probably since the ironstone here was regarded as some of the best in the district. However, the reserves were under a much greater depth of cover than hitherto dealt with. Opencast working was still used, with quarry machines to remove the overburden, and everything was operated on a heftier scale than previously. Standard gauge was introduced, but whilst the change-over was being made continuity of output was maintained in 1921/2 by a system of mixed gauge to the Middle and Five Willows Pits, with the standard gauge rails outside the metre line. Production at the quarries continued up to 1969, albeit with breaks in production during periods of recession. All the track has been lifted, but in 1991 the final layout of the quarries was still traceable, probably due to the considerable depth of the workings. The final working face close to Cranford Station was 60-70ft high. Close to the Thrapston Road, between the tramway route and the Wellingborough Road, is a plantation of Scots pine on the site of former hill-and-dale workings, of considerable age, and in the gullet nearby are plenty of pieces of calcinated ore from the old clamps.

<1> Tonks E., 1991, The Ironstone Quarries of The Midlands (History, Operation and Railways): The Kettering Area, p.47-75 (unchecked) (Book). SNN44039.

Record last edited

Jul 19 2012 10:51AM