Women and Quarrying

For people from further afield, the name Tunstead may not be familiar. It is a quarry and cement plant on Waterswallows Road just outside Buxton (pictured below). It is the High Peak’s largest quarry and one of the largest limestone quarries in Europe – and about half the size of Buxton!

Quarrying is very important to this area and many of the wonderful buildings in the town are built with stone from local quarries. When Buxton Lime Firms was formed, in 1891, it brought together fourteen smaller, privately-owned quarries including, for example, T Beswick & Son of Small Dale and Edward Heathcote & Son of Dove Holes. At that time, Buxton Lime Firms owned 1522 acres of land and 89 open lime kilns. 

The story of quarrying is, in many ways, the story of Buxton. If this area had not been so rich in natural resources, it would never have been settled and many local families would not have made their living from the ground below our feet. As with every community, the origin and nature of the rock around Buxton has shaped its history and continues, sometimes literally, to shape its future.

The stories of the men and the village communities based around the limestone quarries are just as poignant and every bit as important as the stories of the coal-mining communities, although little seems to be seen or heard of their struggle – the industry was a hard and dangerous place – nor their contribution to the economy of the area.

March is Women’s History Month and therefore a wonderful opportunity to show some of the incredible photographs of women working in the quarries during the war years. I am particularly fascinated by the picture of the quarry driller and what appears to be rather inappropriate footwear.

We are grateful to Tarmac for the permission to use these photographs. If anyone has any further information about them, please do contact us.