The Conservation Value of Abandoned Pits and Quarries in Cornwall

114 Pages·2003·1.34 MB·English

Contents
Foreword 1
Professor Keith Atkinson
The Derelict Land Advisory Group 2
Adrian Spalding
Geological map of Cornwall 4
Chapter 1. Geology 5
Colin Bristow
Chapter 2. The Historic Environment 29
Nicholas Johnson, Peter Herring & Adam Sharpe
Chapter 3. The Nature Conservation Value Of Abandoned Pits And Quarries 47
Adrian Spalding, Jeremy Clitherow & Trevor Renals
Chapter 4. The Land Use Planning Context for Abandoned Pits and Quarries 59
David Owens
Chapter 5: The Waste Management Licensing Aspects 63
Ralph Seymour
Chapter 6: Abandoned pits and quarries: a resource for research, education, leisure
and tourism 69
John Macadam & Robin Shail
Case Study 1: Burrator Quarries 81
Peter Keene
Case Study 2: The Reclamation of Holman’s Quarry 84
Jon Mitchell
Case Study 3: Cheesewring Quarry, bolts, blackfaces and bertrandite 93
Martin Eddy
Case Study 4: Prince of Wales Quarry - reuse of an abandoned slate quarry
as a recreational and educational site 97
Charlie David
Case Study 5: St Erth Pits - Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s first geological nature
reserve 101
J.D. Macadam (Cornwall RIGS Group)
The Way Forward 105
Stephen Hartgroves, Dave Owens & Adrian Spalding
Contributors
Professor Keith Atkinson
(Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter)
Colin Bristow
(Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter)
Jeremy Clitherow
(English Nature)
Charlie David
(North Cornwall District Council)
Martin Eddy
(Caradon Countryside Service, Caradon District Council)
Peter Herring
(The Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council)
Nicholas Johnson
(The Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council)
Peter Keene
(Oxford Brookes University; Thematic Trails)
John Macadam
(Earthwords)
Jon Mitchell
(Kerrier District Council)
David Owens
(Cornwall County Council)
Trevor Renals
(Environment Agency)
Ralph Seymour
(Environment Agency)
Robin Shail
(Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter)
Adam Sharpe
(The Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council)
Adrian Spalding
(Spalding Associates (Environmental) Ltd)
Foreword
This report is the result of the conference This report is the work of the Derelict Land
held in Truro in 1999 on the conservation Advisory Group which was established in
value of abandoned pits and quarries. The 1995 with the aim of highlighting the
conference highlighted the importance of conservation value of the derelict post-
these quarries for industry, geology, nature industrial landscape. As this report
conservation, archaeology, amenity, demonstrates, to achieve this aim the group
education and research. It brought together needed to draw together evidence on
planners, industrialists, statutory advisors biodiversity, mineralogy, geology and
and academic researchers to work towards historic heritage. The next task for the
an integrated holistic approach. group is to facilitate an audit of quarries in
Cornwall to provide the basic information
Abandoned pits and quarries in Cornwall in
to guide their management and
their day represented a major resource for
conservation. The group secretariat is based
local building stone but today many are of
at Camborne School Mines and we are
national importance for their historic,
pleased to support the work of this group
geological and wildlife value. Large
and hope that the lessons learned in
numbers have already been lost, through
Cornwall can be applied elsewhere in
such activity as rubbish dumping, and many
Britain to inform the future management of
are under threat, particularly from the
our industrial landscape.
presumption that quarries should be filled
in or restored after production has ceased. Professor Keith Atkinson
Some of the pre-war quarries are especially Head of Camborne School of Mines
in danger of being filled in because of their University of Exeter.
small size and perceived nuisance value,
coupled with a lack of knowledge of their
conservation importance. This report sets
out the way forward and encourages
planners and landowners to recognise that
maintaining or enhancing the conservation
value of pits should be considered an
acceptable after use. It is equally important,
however, for conservationists to understand
that, even though currently abandoned,
many quarries represent a resource that
should not be sterilised in the interests of
conservation. This is particularly true of
those quarries that can be used to provide
distinctive stone for the repair and
conservation of historic buildings.
1
DERELICT LAND ADVISORY GROUP
1. History 3. Rationale, aims and objectives
The Derelict Land Advisory Group (DLAG) Rationale: to highlight the conservation
was established in 1995 in response to the value of the derelict post-industrial
1995 conference organised by the Cornish landscape for its biodiversity, mineralogy,
Biological Records Unit (University of geology and historic heritage.
Exeter) on the theme of Derelict Land: a
Objective: to conserve a range of derelict
challenge for conservation and community.
mining and quarrying sites in Cornwall for
At this conference, papers were presented
future generations to appreciate and use for
on planning, mining, ecology, education and
amenity, scientific research and education,
research, mineralogical and
as part of the biodiversity, history and
geomorphological conservation. It was clear
culture of the Cornish landscape.
that this conference met a real community
need for the establishment of a holistic
Aims:
approach in which the different scientific
disciplines met together in the (cid:149) to encourage the conservation of the
best examples of derelict land
consideration of derelict land reclamation.
The Group was set up to take the initiative (cid:149) to inform planners, land managers and
forward and maintain the consensual the general public of the importance of
approach. The first outputs were the derelict land
publication of a report on the conservation
(cid:149) to promote best practice in the survey
value of metalliferous mine sites in
and management of derelict land sites
Cornwall and a small colour leaflet
available at a wide range of outlets. (cid:149) to promote research into the value of
these sites for biodiversity, mineralogy,
2. Partners geology and historic heritage
Participating organisations have included 4. Achievements
the following: Camborne School of Mines,
(cid:149) The conservation value of metalliferous
Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Cornwall
mine sites in Cornwall (1996) edited by
County Council, Cornwall Wildlife Trust,
N. Johnson, P. Payton & A. Spalding.
Environment Agency, Imerys, English
54pp
Nature, Institute of Cornish Studies,
(cid:149) A colour leaflet highlighting the
Kerrier District Council, National Trust,
importance of derelict mining sites
RIGS and Trevithick Trust.
(cid:149) A conference on The conservation
The secretariat is based at Camborne
value of abandoned pits and quarries.
School of Mines (contact: Vicky Watkins)
March 1999
Chairman: Steve Hartgroves, Historic (cid:149) This report on The conservation value of
Environment Service, Cornwall CountyCouncil abandoned pits and quarries in
2
Cornwall forms part of the process of
informing planners, land managers and
the general public of the importance of
derelict land
Adrian Spalding
Chairman 1995-2001
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Figure 1:Geological map of Cornwall showing the different types and ages of rocks found in the county, together with the main faults and structural units. Partly
based on the 1:250,000 scale British Geological Survey maps by permission of the British Geological Survey, IPR/27-24C. c. NERC. All rights reserved. From:
Cornwall’s Geology and Scenery - an Introduction (Bristow, 1996).