| Location | Newbold Astbury |
| County | Cheshire |
| Grid Reference | SJ 853596 |
| Date of visit | 18 March 2003 |
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The Astbury limeworks had a very long history
for such a small set of quarries. This must largely have been because it
was based on the only limestone outcrop in the whole of Cheshire. Those
involved with the business included the younger John Gilbert and Hugh Henshall
Williamson and in the early twentieth century it was operated by the Astbury
Hydraulic Lime & Stone Company Limited.
In the nineteenth century there were two banks of kilns of which only the later ones, at Astbury Sidings adjacent to the North Staffordshire Railway, have survived. Those shown on the 1908 25" Ordnance Survey map (left) were demolished by Arthur Potts of Baytree Farm in the 1960's.
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The remaining structures at Astbury comprise a rare survival of the kilns, offices, warehouse and weighbridge of a small rural limeworks of the nineteenth century. Operations continued into the twentieth century even though the reserves of limestone were almost exhausted. In later years the stone was won by mining and extracted through an adit close to Baytree Farm. |
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© David Kitching 2004
Page last updated 2.4.2003
