Edge Hill is at the N end of the Cotwold Escarpment, North East of Banbury. The area contains many quarries where Hornton Stone was extracted. Hornton Stone is a dark brown limestone, given it's distinctive colour by high quantities of iron ore.
It was once in great demand as building stone, due to it's attractive appearance and good weathering properties. Most of the colleges at Oxford are constructed from it.
Sadly the industry is in decline now, and the last stone dressing company. The Hornton Stone Co. has just closed down.
There are still many quarries in the area and the remains of the mineral railways that took the stone to the main line in Banbury.
The quarries are in various states of decay. One looks like it has been worked until very recently. The oldest (inevitably) is now a landfill site.
I went there primarily as they are good for mountain biking, so taking the photos was a bit of an afterthought. That's an excuse for them being a bit crap. It was a very gloomy day.
This particular quarry was obviously where they stored all their obsolete quarrying equipment.
Turbo???
nice old lorry
It was once in great demand as building stone, due to it's attractive appearance and good weathering properties. Most of the colleges at Oxford are constructed from it.
Sadly the industry is in decline now, and the last stone dressing company. The Hornton Stone Co. has just closed down.
There are still many quarries in the area and the remains of the mineral railways that took the stone to the main line in Banbury.
The quarries are in various states of decay. One looks like it has been worked until very recently. The oldest (inevitably) is now a landfill site.
I went there primarily as they are good for mountain biking, so taking the photos was a bit of an afterthought. That's an excuse for them being a bit crap. It was a very gloomy day.
This particular quarry was obviously where they stored all their obsolete quarrying equipment.
Turbo???
nice old lorry
