Buildings near White Scar Cave

[Zen Monkey]

Heading towards Ribblehead from White Scar Cave, and on the Ingleborough side of the wall, there are the remains of two buildings, a little way beyond the layby. Anyone know what their purpose was? One has substantial construction with buttresses which could indicate something heavy on the roof like a crane. The other, who knows? Underground tank of some kind maybe.

 

[LadyMud]

These buildings?

 

[LadyMud]

Is that an old quarry just across the road?
Could one of the buildings be a gunpowder magazine?

 

[langcliffe]

You can track what appears to be a railway line heading down the valley from there. It may have been a processing area for the quarry?

 

[Jim MacPherson]

Looks like they relate to Ingleborough Granite Quarries, the more northerly may be the base of an aerial ropeway from the quarry and the southern one may be a loco shed as I'm less sure that a mineral line would run into an explosives store..

There may be be something on AditNow but that's less easy to access currently, perhaps there's other stuff on the internet but I've not looked so far.

Jim

 

[Jim MacPherson]

Looks like they relate to Ingleborough Granite Quarries, the more northerly may be the base of an aerial ropeway from the quarry and the southern one may be a loco shed as I'm less sure that a mineral line would run into an explosives store..

There may be be something on AditNow but that's less easy to access currently, perhaps there's other stuff on the internet but I've not looked so far.

Jim

Should have said Ingleton Granite etc, sorry.

Jim

 

[Zen Monkey]

Thanks for the information gentlemen. There are some other freestanding concrete structures nearby which could well fit in with your information. I wonder what part, if any ,Ten Pound Gill played in this. Chronologically much later I imagine. Anyone know when George Hollingshead was digging it?

 

[Pitlamp]

You can track what appears to be a railway line heading down the valley from there. It may have been a processing area for the quarry?

Langcliffe is right; here's a screenshot showing the still visible sleeper marks alongside the road (this spot is just to the SW of the buildings in question).
This railway must have involved quite an impressive feat of engineering. If you drive along the old road from Ingleton in the direction of Clapham, the railway passed under the road near Ingleton cemetery. It then went straight up the hillside to a turning point (overlooking Jenkin Beck) before countouring round the hillside, past what is now White Scar Cave, to the Granite Quarry. Next time you drive along the back road have a look how steep that incline must have been. (The line of it and remaining masonry at the turning place are visible on Google Earth.)

 

[Jim MacPherson]

Just demonstrate my mining research credentials (yawn), the quarry and associated workings are shown on the 1892 25 inch OS map (can't find anything earlier yet, including naming the more southerly building as an engine shed, mapping available on NLS.

However the side-by-side NLS facility ;

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

(a very useful facility)

Does seem to suggest the "engine shed" was replaced some time later as is a bit too far north to be a cartographic error and the footprint is much larger than the shed, it also seems to face the wrong way and looks like it has a nice ashlar block finish, the tramway winder(?) to the north looks like concrete, as per Google Maps images. Nothing seems to be on AditNow, perhaps an AditNow escapee on UKC who lives in the area might also be driving by at some time and have a gander. Meanwhile to avoid upsetting caving types I'll get my coat.

Jim

 

[Pitlamp]

That's interesting; back in the 1970s I remember the nearby resurgence for Tatham Wife Hole was often referred to as the "Engine Shed Risings".

 

[langcliffe]

That's interesting; back in the 1970s I remember the nearby resurgence for Tatham Wife Hole was often referred to as the "Engine Shed Risings".

I thought it still was!

 

[Pitlamp]

Aye, perhaps not as often though these days.

 

[Zen Monkey]

Once again, gentlemen, many thanks for providing much interesting information.

 

[HardenClimber3]

There are various bits of heavy engineering still in the buildings.

 

[JAA]

Have I imagined it, or at some point was the building next to the risings used as an engineering workshop (short lived due to the water supply for the hydraulic power not being particularly reliable)? I’m sure I read it somewhere but I have no idea where!