Hodge Close Quarry



Hodge Close Quarry is a flooded, green slate quarry, nestled amongst some beautiful countryside but with obvious signs of historic mining works having taken place throughout the Tilberthwaite Valley. Mining probably started around the 1780s, and with a few periods of inactivity, continued through until 1964. It is located 4.6 kilometres (2.9 miles) north of Coniston and 12 kilometres (7.4 miles) west of Ambleside. It has become a popular, well-trodden area for hikers and, over the years, a key location for rock climbing, abseiling, and diving. There are sheer drops to the north, west and east, and to the south there is a scree slope, none of which have barriers in place at the edges, so caution is advised. Hodge close is attached to the neighbouring Parrock Quarry, also open to the elements, but with nature having reclaimed the rocky features of once busy mining operations.

The mining operations have produced an enormous amount of spoil and, depending on opinion, has created an eyesore in an otherwise picturesque valley with nearby Holme Fell as its peak. The cold, grey spoil is a brooding reminder of the strong history of mining in the area. The scale of the works here was big enough to produce a pile of waste material so large that it has plateaued, now a part of the fell side, bleak but beautiful. Nature has found a way to claw back what was taken, with silver birch trees growing where slate was tipped.



Operational use
There is a strong history of mining across the Lake District. The Tilberthwaite Valley is just one of those areas where mining played a large part in the rural lives of those that called this place home. Hodge Close is a quarry pit with a depth of over 90 metres (300 feet), half of which is below the current water level. During the quarry's operational use, there were at least three different systems installed for lifting and removing the large slabs of slate (clogs). A water balanced lift and a steam crane were used in the latter part of the 19th century. During the 20th century, a Blondin crane was used throughout its operational life, right up until the quarry closed. Initially, the cables were on a north-west to south-east alignment, however, at some point these were realigned north to south. The remains of the water pipe for the water balanced lift, and various support anchors for the Blondin crane are still visible on the periphery; heavy-duty steel, cut and rusted, bygone times of industrial workings, now with an air of peace and tranquillity.

Looking at the Ordnance Survey map published in 1920, and you can clearly see the alignment of the cables, labelled as "travelling crane". The rail tracks to the west were used for transporting the useable slate to the open-fronted riving sheds, where the slate was skilfully split by hand. The unusable slate was dumped on the spoil. There are multiple "levels" shown too, which indicate tunnels that run at a slight incline, providing access to the internal workings of the quarries. One of the last areas to worked here was accessed by the level at Bakestone Barrow, shown on the map at the southern end of the quarry. There is a level that can still be accessed, which will provide the adventurer entry inside the quarry. This was the access level where much of the slate was removed using the water balanced lift. The opening of the tunnel is situated on the western side at the foot of the spoil from the northern end of the car park. The caveat is the tunnel is relatively low in height and contains water up to the knee. Protective headwear and a bright LED torch are essential as the tunnel is very dark, and the rocks are jagged. At the end of the tunnel there is a small opening and some scaffold ladders to decent to a lower level.



Anyone with common sense would know that quarries are incredibly dangerous places, and common sense should heed any notion of swimming in the cold, murky waters. There is a stark beauty about the place, but this quarry has claimed the lives of people past and in more recent times.

The spoil heaps, which have become as much a part of the landscape as any natural vista, include a road to the satellite quarries of Klondyke and Peat Field. Further south-west is the quarry of Calf How accessed by a separate road behind Holme Ground cottages. Both Peat Field and Calf How were put to use after the outbreak of the First World War, which saw slate mining as non-essential. Numerous men working at Hodge Close enlisted and went off to serve King and County in whatever capacity was deemed of them at the time. A reduced workforce meant that by September 1915, Hodge Close had to cease operations and the remaining men moved to these smaller operations. It wasn't long before the quarry was flooded, and little maintenance carried by a skeleton crew during the war years meant Hodge Close was slowly deteriorating, eventually leading to a catastrophic rockfall.

Although shown as Hodge Close Quarries on the map, there are in fact several other quarries, including the Calf How, Peat Field, and Klondyke satellite quarries. From the southern end of Hodge Close Quarry, there is a clear and unobstructed view to the connecting Parrock Quarry. This, too, has an interesting history, having started out as an underground operation that eventually was "open-topped"—the roof of the quarry having been removed, resulting in the open pit we see today.



Access and parking
Access is via the A593 between Skelwith Bridge and Coniston. There are two turns fairly close to each other. One is for Tilberthwaite and the other for Hodge Close. If coming from Coniston, it is the 2nd left turn. If coming from Skelwith Bridge and Ambleside, it is the 1st right. (SD 31412 99736, ) From the turn, it is approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) up a narrow lane, which weaves through woodland, passing the Holme Ground cottages, which were built for quarry workers in the 1880s. The road eventually summits, then descends to the car park. There is parking for a maximum of 20 vehicles. Large rocks have been put in place to limit the number of vehicles that can park here. There is no turning or vehicular access beyond the end of the car park, except for residents and holiday cottages.