Monument record MDR297 - Ashwood Dale Limeworks (remains of), Cunning Dale, Buxton

The 1st ed. 25" OS map shows 'Ashwood Dale Works (Lime)' at the southern end of Cunning Dale, with four limekilns depicted in a row, accessed by railway sidings. A number of buildings are shown. (1) The second edition shows a much more extensive area of quarrying and railway lines, extending up Cunning Dale and also a short way along Ashwood Dale. The row of limekilns shows five circular structures, now marked as 'Old Limekilns', while a square structure to the south, not shown on the 1st edition, is also marked as 'Old Limekiln'. (2) The 3rd edition has 'Ashwood Dale Works (Lime, Disused)'. The old limekilns are still shown, but the railway lines have clearly been dismantled. (3) In Wye Dale there is a large range of late 19th century kilns with five wells, some of which are brick lined, others masonry. (4) Five limekilns survive at the south-east end of Cunning Dale. They are approximately 30ft deep. Some ruined buildings stand nearby [in 1974]. (5) Ashwood Dale quarry with associated limekilns was opened up in 1865 by Joshua Slater operating as the Ashwood Dale Lime and Stone Company. The first sidings from the nearby Midland Railway were built in late 1876. The 1880 Ordnance Suvey map shows a sophisticated range of kilns and other buildings, clearly aligned with these sidings. The Company was one of thirteen which came together in a merger of 1891 to form the Buxton Lime Firms. Following rationalisation, Ashwood Dale Quarries Ltd operated on the site and a tarmacadam plant was set up, although the firm did not last for very long. Limestone extraction continued at the site until 1980, after which it was used for processing powders. Quarrying was resumed in the late 1990s. [NB the modern quarrying is currently excluded from the mapped area] (6)