Harthill - Part II

A view of Winney Hill in Harthill

There’s nothing quite like undertaking a primary survey and, getting off the No. 74 bus at the terminus on Winney Hill, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yellow Sands Formation had once been dug out here; the plantation at the end of the village now contains a couple of modern houses with steeply rising back gardens and, very often, these were used to disguise former quarries and mineral workings on large estates.

A geological map of the area around Harthill

Walking down Winney Hill, the undulating escarpment that rises up from All Hallows church can clearly be seen and, taking a diversion to walk up Doctor Lane – where I had previously identified a quarry on an old map – a small housing development has now been built on this site, with only a few remains of the old quarry face being seen in the back gardens.

An old "Rotherham Red" sandstone quarry face

Carrying on down through the council estate on Serlby Lane, with the escarpment falling down to Union Street in the west, the terrace like topography of the houses and gardens here strongly suggests that this area was also once extensively quarried.

"Rotherham Red" sandstone produces a very distinctive soil

Peering between the houses to get a glimpse of their back gardens, in places the “Rotherham Red“ sandstone can still be seen in the deep shadows – between the ivy and the sycamores – but the name “Quarry Cottage” obviously provides a clue that needs further investigation.

Quarry Cottage

Although there are a couple of 20^th century buildings constructed in dolomitic limestone, it is the “Rotherham Red” sandstone – distinctly red where used for the best quality masonry but with mottled red and yellow variations in basic walling - which gives the old part of the village its architectural character. 

All Hallows church