In Dove Holes Dale Bottom, a settlement emerged right in the centre of the quarrying industry. Hemmed in by the railway (built in the 1860s) and the surrounding quarries, there was a small number of cottages, The Midland Railway Hotel (opened 1867) and the Great Rocks Wesleyan Chapel (opened 1885). There were also stables, workshops and works' offices, a station and stationmaster’s house and limekilns. So close were the quarries that beneath Great Rocks Row (later Small Knowle End), a tunnel was constructed to connect the Duchy Quarry at the back of the houses, with the railway in front. When blasting took place, people had to get out of their houses because of the danger of flying rocks that often smashed the windows. Smoke from the steam trains and kilns was always present in the dale.
More houses for the quarry and railway workers were built in Upper End. By 1900 about 70 houses had been built. The Upper End Primitive Methodist Chapel opened in 1881, the Board School a few years later, and the New Mission Church, which was to become Holy Trinity Church, was built in 1886.
