Quarrying
Calderdale has an abundant wealth of good stone which is displayed in the local building tradition. A variety of different types of sandstone have been quarried for building stone, flagstones and roof slates. The main beds used were the Rough Rock beds and the Elland Flags from the Lower Coal Measures.

Map showing the main areas of quarry activity around Halifax.

  
Most of the quarries have been closed for many years and have now been filled in, but there are certain tell tale signs to look out for. Many fields were leveled with the material removed when quarries were sunk (overburden) along with other waste from the quarries. The edges of these fields are often supported by roughly built drystone walls also made from quarry waste. Once a quarry has been abandoned and filled in it can be difficult to spot, but by looking at the leveled fields it is possible to work out in which direction the material was tipped and therefore locate the site of the quarry. There are many walled waste tips visible from Halifax on Beacon Hill and the side of Swale Moor.
Field leveled with quarry overburden and waste which is held back by dry stone walls built from quarry waste, Southowram.

Small quarry producing walling stone at Southowram.

  

An abandoned crane silhouetted against the sky near Mount Tabor.

 

At Bare Head in the Upper Shibden Valley a foot path has been preserved by building a tunnel beneath the quarry waste.

(Above) This quarry behind Northowram Hospital has waste tips as high as the nearby houses.

Detail

Walls holding back quarry waste next to the Halifax- Bradford road Swale Moor.

Detail

Underground in a stone mine c.1920

(M.Roe after a drawing by J.K.Aked)

Stone Mining

By 1860 the best Elland Flags had been worked out near the surface and shafts were sunk to mine the stone. Mining of the Elland Flags continued into the 20th century but mines gradually reduced in numbers until the last mine closed in 1955.

Stone mine shaft c.1920

(M.Roe after a drawing by J.K.Aked)