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Swinden Quarry is north of the village of
The quarry is set deep into the landscape and despite some surface workings being visible from the B6265 road, most of the site is hidden as a result of it being dug down out of a hill. Much of the industrial plant machinery was moved from the exterior of the plant and into the quarry workings, so that they are hidden by the high surrounding banks of the quarry itself.
Products exported from the site include roadstone, agricultural lime, industrial carbonate, crushed rock aggregate & pre-cast concrete products. A significant tonnage of the quarried material is exported from the site by rail, although there can be up to 42,000 lorry journeys on the B6265 per year. As part of a proposal to extend the life of the quarry beyond 2030, the owners have indicated a greater reliance on rail transport with a consistent reduction of lorry movements.
The site has been designated as an
Tarmac official site on Swinden Quarry.
{{coord, 54.05063, -2.03117, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Craven District Quarries in North Yorkshire Wharfedale Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire Rail-served quarries in England
Swinden Quarry is north of the village of Cracoe
Cracoe is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near to Rylstone and about 6 miles south-west of Grassington. Cracoe has an estimated population of 160 residents, measured at 1 ...
, and south-west of Grassington
Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale ...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England. It is owned by LaFarge Tarmac Tarmac may refer to:
Engineered surfaces
* Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902
* Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...
. The former Skipton-Grassington railway line still serves this location, and in railway terminology, the site is known as Rylstone Quarry.
Swinden Quarry railway yard is near the village of Cracoe
Cracoe is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near to Rylstone and about 6 miles south-west of Grassington. Cracoe has an estimated population of 160 residents, measured at 1 ...
, at the northern end of the old Skipton to Grassington line built by the Yorkshire Dales Railway
The Yorkshire Dales Railway was a branch line linking the town of Skipton with the villages of Rylstone, Threshfield and Grassington in North Yorkshire, England. There were two stations on the line - Grassington & Threshfield and Rylstone - ...
. It is now the terminus of the line as the portion north of there to the former terminus at Threshfield was closed in 1969 and subsequently lifted (the B6265 road now passes across the old formation just beyond the buffer stops).
Quarry details
The quarry is set deep into the landscape and despite some surface workings being visible from the B6265 road, most of the site is hidden as a result of it being dug down out of a hill. Much of the industrial plant machinery was moved from the exterior of the plant and into the quarry workings, so that they are hidden by the high surrounding banks of the quarry itself.
Products exported from the site include roadstone, agricultural lime, industrial carbonate, crushed rock aggregate & pre-cast concrete products. A significant tonnage of the quarried material is exported from the site by rail, although there can be up to 42,000 lorry journeys on the B6265 per year. As part of a proposal to extend the life of the quarry beyond 2030, the owners have indicated a greater reliance on rail transport with a consistent reduction of lorry movements.
The site has been designated as an SSSI
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
, as the quarrying has exposed the Carboniferous Limestone and shows how the stone developed through the different beds of rock.
The rail loading area is used as a park and ride facility for the annual Christmas festival at Grassington.
Railfreight services
Limestone services from the quarry are operated to Dewsbury, Dairycoates (Hull) and Marsh Lane/Hunslet (Leeds) byGB Railfreight
GB Railfreight (GBRf) is a rail freight company in the United Kingdom. As of 2022, it is owned by the global investment company Infracapital.
GB Railfreight was established in April 1999 as the rail freight operating subsidiary of the train o ...
. GB Railfreight also operate train services of limestone to Small Heath and Wellingborough.
See also
*Tarmac Tarmac may refer to:
Engineered surfaces
* Tarmacadam, a mainly historical tar-based material for macadamising road surfaces, patented in 1902
* Asphalt concrete, a macadamising material using asphalt instead of tar which has largely superseded ta ...
References
External links
Tarmac official site on Swinden Quarry.
{{coord, 54.05063, -2.03117, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Craven District Quarries in North Yorkshire Wharfedale Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire Rail-served quarries in England