After limestone is quarried it is Hope Quarry is located on
used for building stone,
the outskirts of Castleton,
cement, lime (for farming)
in the peak District, in the
All National Parks aim to:
1. Protect wildlife,
buildings, places of
and as an aggregate (crushed village of Hope.
architectural and historic
stone) for road building and
interest and the beauty
the construction industry
of the countryside.
2. Encourage people to
visit, enjoy and learn
more about them.
3. Support local
communities so they
remain good places to
live and work.
Hope Quarry produces 2
Hope Quarry is a huge
Hope Cement Works
million tonnes of limestone a
hole in the ground and it
established in 1929 to exploit
year to the local Hope
has a large impact on the
the nearby natural reserves of
Cement Works which then
landscape
limestone and shale which are
produces 1.3 million tonnes of
natural resources needed for
cement a year.
the manufacture of cement
Landscaping and tree planting In 2003, 7,000 trees were Quarrying is the extraction of
have reduced the visual
planted around Hope
rocks and other materials from
impact of the quarry
Cement Works to try to
the earth’s surface by
offset the production of
blasting. Frequently quarried
carbon dioxide
materials include sand, gravel
and limestone.
Hope Quarry began extraction The Hope Quarry is deep
Blasting for quarrying releases
in 1948, just before the area
and dug on several levels.
large amounts of dust which
was designated a national
Controlled explosions are
can be problems for asthma
park. 2 million tonnes of
used to blast rock from the
sufferers and can pollute local
limestone are extracted each
ground. The limestone is
year, used to produce 10% of
then taken to a crusher
the UK's cement.
where it is broken down
water supplies
into smaller pieces.
There are 12 active quarries
The Hope Quarry is
The Peak District National
in the Peak District National
located close to Castleton
Park was designated in 1951
Park.
in the Peak District
National Park
Hope Quarry produces a
£15 million has been spent
Hope Cement Works
source of money for the local
on improving transport.
produces 1 million tonnes of
council, through taxes and
Rail is used rather than
carbon dioxide a year.
rates
road. A single train is
equivalent to 57 lorries on
the road.
The quarry is likely to have
The quarry and cement
The Peak District National
reserves for another 30-35
works employ 300 local
Park has millions of visitors
years. There is currently
people, many of whom live
every year – 22 million visitor
restoration happening in the
in the village of Hope.
days a year. It is surrounded
areas that can no longer be
by the cities of Manchester
quarried.
and Sheffield so there are a
lot of day trippers as well as
people staying for longer
periods.
Limestone extraction in the
The employees use the
The Peak District National
Peak District
shops and services in
Park covers 555 square miles
1951 – 1.5 million tonnes
Hope resulting in money in
and is home to 38,000
2001 – 7.8 million tonnes
the local economy – the
people and 2,800 business.
multiplier effect.
In 2003 Hope Cement Works
Efforts have been made to
One of the old quarry areas is
started to use chipped tyres
reduce dust
now managed as a wetland
as a fuel to preserve fossil
resource
fuels and recycle materials
Heavy lorries transporting
Wildlife and habitats have
Noise pollution from the
limestone cause congestion
been destroyed and lost
blasting affect the wildlife and
on narrow roads and increase
local population
the likelihood of accidents.
They also mean that the
roads need to be repaired
more often.
The demand for limestone
70% of the quarried
based products meant that
limestone is transported by landscaped to reduce its
there was a rapid increase in
rail.
limestone extraction in the
Peak District since the 1950s
reaching a peak in 1991.
There has since been a
decline
Hope Quarry has been
visual impact on the
surrounding area