1. The History
Not a massive amount of info out there on Ball Eye Quarry. Also referred to as Balleye, it is located close to the Via Gellia Mills car park, south-west of Matlock Bath, between the Derbyshire villages of Bonsall and Cromford.
It was an active limestone quarry owned and operated by Deepwood Mining Co Ltd. It worked a mineral vein for fluorspar and baryte along with a galena-bearing mineral vein. The area is known for producing specimens of dark blue fluorite, baryte, anglesite, cerussite, malachite and smithsonite. The area has also seen extensive mining for the aforementioned minerals and the workings of Ball Eye Mine sit below Ball Eye Quarry. A number of small veins and replacement flats at the mine were worked for lead, but these workings were intersected by the limestone quarry above during the 1970-80s.
There’s no information on when the quarry closed but it appears to have been in operation up to 2014. Meanwhile Deep Wood Mining Company are still registered at Companies house head-quartered at Water Lane, Cromford.
2. The Explore
Had a look around slopes of Via Gellia Road for some silver mines to no avail so in the end thought we’d have a shufty at this old quarry. It’s an easy in and looks like it has been left for a number of years. There isn’t an awful amount there in terms of buildings and all of the plant has been moved out. That said, there’s enough to keep you occupied for an hour so and it makes for a relaxed mooch.
3. The Pictures
Soooo many signs!
Not too sure what this is:
OK. "We're here!"
Small stone-built building:
Not too much inside. Some sort of utilities supply:
Forget a spray-paint graff knob. All hail the stone sculpture knob!
Om to the site office;
Weigh-bridge display:
And then on to the container round the corner:
Bits and bobs box!
And back out to the quarry:
Some of the quarry’s former produce that's been left behind:
That’s all folks:
Not a massive amount of info out there on Ball Eye Quarry. Also referred to as Balleye, it is located close to the Via Gellia Mills car park, south-west of Matlock Bath, between the Derbyshire villages of Bonsall and Cromford.
It was an active limestone quarry owned and operated by Deepwood Mining Co Ltd. It worked a mineral vein for fluorspar and baryte along with a galena-bearing mineral vein. The area is known for producing specimens of dark blue fluorite, baryte, anglesite, cerussite, malachite and smithsonite. The area has also seen extensive mining for the aforementioned minerals and the workings of Ball Eye Mine sit below Ball Eye Quarry. A number of small veins and replacement flats at the mine were worked for lead, but these workings were intersected by the limestone quarry above during the 1970-80s.
There’s no information on when the quarry closed but it appears to have been in operation up to 2014. Meanwhile Deep Wood Mining Company are still registered at Companies house head-quartered at Water Lane, Cromford.
2. The Explore
Had a look around slopes of Via Gellia Road for some silver mines to no avail so in the end thought we’d have a shufty at this old quarry. It’s an easy in and looks like it has been left for a number of years. There isn’t an awful amount there in terms of buildings and all of the plant has been moved out. That said, there’s enough to keep you occupied for an hour so and it makes for a relaxed mooch.
3. The Pictures
Soooo many signs!
Not too sure what this is:
OK. "We're here!"
Small stone-built building:
Not too much inside. Some sort of utilities supply:
Forget a spray-paint graff knob. All hail the stone sculpture knob!
Om to the site office;
Weigh-bridge display:
And then on to the container round the corner:
Bits and bobs box!
And back out to the quarry:
Some of the quarry’s former produce that's been left behind:
That’s all folks:
Last edited:
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