Monument record MDR13588 - Windgather Rocks, Kettleshulme, Whaley Bridge and Hartington Upper Quarter

Windgather Rocks was included in a report of a study into the potential to re-establish the roofing slate industry of the region. It is a prominent north-south ridge craggy for around 0.3km (but max of only 7-15m high crags). At the point where the road comes alongside the crags there are one or two small quarries. Very bleak west facing position. Almost certainly the source of the many stone slate roofs in Kettleshulme. On the base of the Chatsworth Grit, the outcrop is relatively narrow (0.3km) but fairly consistent to the south - some north-south faulting - even narrower just to the north and in places has separated leaves. Higher up in the sequence there are thin coals. At the end of the crags, in the quarries alongside the road, there is some impressive regular flaggy cross-bedded material over a height of around 8m. Similar in appearance to Eccles Pike but possibly coarser in thickness of leaves and grain size. Crags appear to be coarse and massive but even from a distance they show signs of incipient cross bedding. (1) There is a quarry marked on the 2nd edition 25" Ordnance Survey map of c. 1900 to the south of Windgather Rocks. (2) There is no evidence of quarrying on modern maps but Google Street View shows toe quarry face still exists but is out of use. (3)