Great Rocks Dale
Encyclopedia
Great Rocks Dale is a dry valley
in the Derbyshire
Peak District
, known for its extensive quarrying.
down to Blackwell Mill
on the River Wye
.
The scenery is of limestone, which extends to a depth of around 380 metres. It contains the only dike
s in the White Peak
. Borehole
s have enabled the extraction of significant amounts of water, used by local industry.
Prior to the local quarrying, the southern part of the valley was described as "narrow, flat-bottomed, rocky... [with] almost perpendicular cliffs of limestone on either side...", whereas the northern part was broader and grassy.
. The surrounding land was first farmed in about 1250, by people connected with the nearby hamlet of Tunstead
.
In 1867, an extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
was opened, running through the valley between Peak Forest
and Millers Dale
. This section of line remains open, for freight traffic.
The valley is now dominated by Tunstead Quarry, a large limestone
quarry
, worked since 1929. Given its economic importance, the boundary of the Peak District National Park was carefully drawn to exclude the dale. By 1973, it was the largest quarry in Europe, and permission to extend it into the Peak District National Park was rejected on the grounds that there was sufficient stone to last until at least 2000. It remains the largest producer of limestone in the Peak District, with about 5.5 million tonnes extracted each year.
In 1932, quarrying opened a fissure which contained remains of bison
, Irish elk
and deer, washed down from the surface in the distant past. In 1957, the painter Peter Lanyon
visited the valley to study the faces of the quarry, seeing them as revealing both the geological and human history of the area.
Dry valley
A dry valley is a valley found in either karst or chalk terrain that no longer has a surface flow of water.There are many examples of the latter along the North and South Downs in southern England...
in the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, known for its extensive quarrying.
Geography and geology
The valley runs from Peak DalePeak Dale
Peak Dale is a small village in Derbyshire, England. It is located between Dove Holes and Buxton, between 2 quarries.The village used to house quarry workers and their families, but some of the original houses have now been demolished...
down to Blackwell Mill
Blackwell Mill
Blackwell Mill is a location in Derbyshire, near to the village of Blackwell near Buxton, but not part of it.There was once a corn mill on the River Wye which may have dated from 1066. Most of it has disappeared, apart from the weir. What is left is marked as an Ancient Monument.It stands at the...
on the River Wye
River Wye, Derbyshire
The River Wye is a limestone river in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It is in length, and is one of the major tributaries of the River Derwent, which flows into the River Trent, and ultimately into the Humber and the North Sea....
.
The scenery is of limestone, which extends to a depth of around 380 metres. It contains the only dike
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
s in the White Peak
White Peak
The White Peak is the lower, southern part of the Peak District in England. In contrast to the Dark Peak, the underlying limestone is not capped by impervious millstone grit, so caves and dry river valleys are common features of the area...
. Borehole
Borehole
A borehole is the generalized term for any narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water or other liquid or gases , as part of a geotechnical investigation, environmental site...
s have enabled the extraction of significant amounts of water, used by local industry.
Prior to the local quarrying, the southern part of the valley was described as "narrow, flat-bottomed, rocky... [with] almost perpendicular cliffs of limestone on either side...", whereas the northern part was broader and grassy.
History
The dale fell within the bounds of the mediaeval Forest of High PeakForest of High Peak
The Forest of High Peak was, in medieval times, a moorland forest covering most of the North West of Derbyshire, in England as far south as Tideswell and Buxton....
. The surrounding land was first farmed in about 1250, by people connected with the nearby hamlet of Tunstead
Tunstead
Tunstead may refer to:*Tunstead, Derbyshire, England*Tunstead, Greater Manchester, England*Tunstead, Norfolk, England...
.
In 1867, an extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton....
was opened, running through the valley between Peak Forest
Peak Forest railway station
Peak Forest railway station was opened in 1867 by the Midland Railway on its extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley, part of the main Midland Line from Manchester to London. It was also the northern junction for the line from Buxton. It closed in...
and Millers Dale
Millers Dale railway station
Millers Dale railway station was a station situated in Millers Dale in the Peak District. It was built in 1863 by the Midland Railway on its extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley....
. This section of line remains open, for freight traffic.
The valley is now dominated by Tunstead Quarry, a large limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
, worked since 1929. Given its economic importance, the boundary of the Peak District National Park was carefully drawn to exclude the dale. By 1973, it was the largest quarry in Europe, and permission to extend it into the Peak District National Park was rejected on the grounds that there was sufficient stone to last until at least 2000. It remains the largest producer of limestone in the Peak District, with about 5.5 million tonnes extracted each year.
In 1932, quarrying opened a fissure which contained remains of bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, Irish elk
Irish Elk
The Irish Elk or Giant Deer , was a species of Megaloceros and one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia, from Ireland to east of Lake Baikal, during the Late Pleistocene. The latest known remains of the species have been carbon dated to about 7,700 years ago...
and deer, washed down from the surface in the distant past. In 1957, the painter Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon was a Cornish painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. He also made constructions, pottery and collage....
visited the valley to study the faces of the quarry, seeing them as revealing both the geological and human history of the area.