Cawdor Quarry
Encyclopedia
Cawdor Quarry is a dis-used quarry
in Matlock, Derbyshire
. Much of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
The Peak District
is renowned for its quarry
ing, and stone from Cawdor Quarry was used in the construction of both Hyde Park Corner
and the Thames Embankment
in London
.
Around 2000, the quarry land was purchased by the supermarket
giant Sainsbury's who proposed the building of a new supermarket by the spring of 2002. This hit against much opposition from local shopkeeper
s and proposals to regenerate most of the centre of Matlock became part of the plan. This included a new bus station
(to be located close to Sainsbury's), the diversion of the A6 road, the possibility of making Crown Square into a pedestrianised area where market
s could be held and the possibility of making the bridge over the River Derwent
one-way
. The bus station, the diversion of the A6, and the one-way bridge were all incorporated into the plan which was approved. From January 2007, Birse Engineering started work on developing the new road and Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd, main contractors for Sainsbury's, started work on the superstore. The store opened on Thursday 4 October 2007, with the petrol station opening on the 25th October, later that month.
The Peak Rail heritage Railway centre used part of the former Cawdor Quarry sindings as their connection to th mainline at Matlock. Part of the old loading docks will have to be removed to make way for a new alignment in order to restore the mainline connection at Matlock.
There are also plans to build 400+ new homes at Cawdor Quarry in a development called Matlock Spa. This additional development will occur soon, following on from the completion of the supermarket project.
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
in Matlock, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. Much of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
The Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
is renowned for its quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing, and stone from Cawdor Quarry was used in the construction of both Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
and the Thames Embankment
Thames Embankment
The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century civil engineering designed to reclaim marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria and Chelsea Embankment....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Around 2000, the quarry land was purchased by the supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
giant Sainsbury's who proposed the building of a new supermarket by the spring of 2002. This hit against much opposition from local shopkeeper
Shopkeeper
A shopkeeper is an individual who owns a shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as shopkeepers. Today, a shopkeeper is usually referred to as a manager, though this term could apply to larger firms .*In many south asian languages like Hindi, Urdu,...
s and proposals to regenerate most of the centre of Matlock became part of the plan. This included a new bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
(to be located close to Sainsbury's), the diversion of the A6 road, the possibility of making Crown Square into a pedestrianised area where market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s could be held and the possibility of making the bridge over the River Derwent
River Derwent, Derbyshire
The Derwent is a river in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is 66 miles long and is a tributary of the River Trent which it joins south of Derby. For half its course, the river flows through the Peak District....
one-way
One-way traffic
One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...
. The bus station, the diversion of the A6, and the one-way bridge were all incorporated into the plan which was approved. From January 2007, Birse Engineering started work on developing the new road and Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd, main contractors for Sainsbury's, started work on the superstore. The store opened on Thursday 4 October 2007, with the petrol station opening on the 25th October, later that month.
The Peak Rail heritage Railway centre used part of the former Cawdor Quarry sindings as their connection to th mainline at Matlock. Part of the old loading docks will have to be removed to make way for a new alignment in order to restore the mainline connection at Matlock.
There are also plans to build 400+ new homes at Cawdor Quarry in a development called Matlock Spa. This additional development will occur soon, following on from the completion of the supermarket project.