Limestone

Symbol	CaCO₃

This is a short overview. For the background — history, value over time and notable mines — see Limestone →

A sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate, quarried and mined for construction, cement-making, ironworking flux, and agricultural lime. Often worked underground in Britain where a good bed lay too deep to strip economically at the surface.

Mines

Show these mines on the map

Mine	Region	Worked
Aber Quarry	Anglesey	to Still active
Aberthaw Limestone Quarry	Vale of Glamorgan	By 1750s–Still active
Allington Quarry	Kent	By the 1790s–2001
Amberley Chalk Pits	West Sussex	1840s–1960s
Ancaster Stone Quarries	Lincolnshire	From the Roman period–Still active
Bagalow Quarry	Cornwall	1834–Early 20th century
Ballidon Quarry	Derbyshire	Post-medieval–Still active
Barnack Quarries	Cambridgeshire	Roman period–c. 1500 (stone exhausted)
Barrasford Quarry	Northumberland	After 1859–Still active
Beaufort Iron Works	Blaenau Gwent	1779–1873–1877
Binstead Quarry	Isle of Wight	Roman (2nd or early 3rd century)–14th century
Birdshill Quarry	Carmarthenshire	from By early 19th century
Broadcroft Quarry	Dorset	1900s (merged family quarries)–Still active
Brown End Quarry	Staffordshire	Mid 18th century–1960s
Browns Folly Mine	Somerset	—
Brunton Bank Quarry	Northumberland	to By 1969
Buriton Chalk Pit	Hampshire	c. 1860–1939
Caldon Low Quarry	Staffordshire	Before 1776–Still active
Carnlough Limestone Quarries	County Antrim	Before 1808–About 1922 (railways)
Cawdor Quarry	Derbyshire	from 1857
Charlestown Limeworks	Fife	1756–1956
Chilmark Quarries	Wiltshire	From the medieval period–c.2007
Clipsham Quarry	Rutland	From 1363–Still active
Coldstones Quarry	North Yorkshire	from around 1800
Collyweston Slate Mines	Northamptonshire	Medieval–1960s
Combe Down Stone Mines	Somerset	By 1730–1860s
Cornelly Quarries	Bridgend	from From the Industrial Revolution
Cowdale Quarry	Derbyshire	1898–1948
Crich Limestone Quarries	Derbyshire	Early 19th century (Cliff Quarry)–1957 (Cliff Quarry)
Crûg Farm Quarry	Carmarthenshire	to By 1980
Darnley Lime Works	Glasgow	By 1610–c. 1959
Doulting Quarry	Somerset	Roman–Still active
Dowlow Works	Derbyshire	1899–Still active
Dulcote Quarry	Somerset	Mid-19th century–From 2016
Eastlays Quarry	Wiltshire	1887–1934
Fairy Cave Quarry	Somerset	1920s–1977
Foredale Quarry	North Yorkshire	from 1878
Frosterley Marble Quarries	County Durham	worked from at least 1183–By the 20th century
Greetwell Ironstone Mines	Lincolnshire	c. 1873–1939
Gurney Slade Quarry	Somerset	Mid 19th century–Still active
Ham Hill Quarries	Somerset	Roman period–Still active
Harpur Hill Quarry	Derbyshire	c. 1835–c. 1952
Hay Head Quarry	West Midlands	By 1593–By 1865
Hendre Mine	Flintshire	From 1931–1977 (lead)
Hopton Wood Quarries and Middleton Mine	Derbyshire	From the 18th century–2005 (closure)
Hurlet Colliery	Renfrewshire	Early 17th century–Early 20th century
Islip Ironstone Quarry	Northamptonshire	1877–1952
Jordans Mine	Dorset	2008 (mine–Still active
Ketton Quarry	Rutland	From the 16th century–Still active
Kimmeridge Oil Shale Workings	Dorset	c. 400 BC–c. 1890
King Barrow Quarry	Dorset	1800s–c. 1900
Llanymynech Hill Mines and Quarries	Powys	From later Bronze Age–Around 200 AD
Longhoughton Quarry	Northumberland	Early 19th century–1974
Magheramorne Quarry	County Antrim	Early 19th century–1980 (quarrying)
Marsden Quarry	Tyne and Wear	By 1870s–Still active
Meal Bank Quarry	North Yorkshire	By early 19th century–1909
Monks Park Mine	Wiltshire	1886–March 2018 (mothballed)
Norman's Quarry	Dorset	Early 20th century–1995
Park Lime Pits	West Midlands	By the early 19th century–By the 1870s
Penmon Quarry	Anglesey	from 18th century
Penwyllt Quarry	Powys	c. 1820–1937
Perryfield Quarry	Dorset	1890s–Still active
Pitstone Chalk Quarry and Cement Works	Buckinghamshire	1937–1991
Plump Hill Dolomite Quarry	Forest of Dean	Late 1800s–Early 1900s
Portland Stone Quarries	Dorset	From the Roman period–Still active
Purbeck Marble Quarries	Dorset	From the Roman period–1990s
Raisby Hill Quarry	County Durham	By 1896–Still active
Redmire Quarry	North Yorkshire	Before 1912–1992
Rhoose Quarry	Vale of Glamorgan	1913–1979
Ribblehead Quarry	North Yorkshire	Late 1800s–1998
Ridge Quarry	Wiltshire	1875–1914
Rumney Quarry	Cardiff	19th century–1920s
Spring Quarry	Wiltshire	1875–1937
Stonesfield Slate Mines	Oxfordshire	From the Roman period–1911
Swinden Quarry	North Yorkshire	1899–Still active
Talar Wen Quarry	Carmarthenshire	to By 1993
Torr Works	Somerset	1930s–Still active
Tout Quarry	Dorset	c. 1780–1982
Tunstead Quarry	Derbyshire	1929–Still active
Tytherington Quarry	South Gloucestershire	1872–Still active
Weldon Stone Quarries	Northamptonshire	Medieval–Still active
Wellingborough Ironstone Quarries	Northamptonshire	1874–1966
Wensley Quarry	North Yorkshire	1947–Still active
Wenvoe Quarry	Vale of Glamorgan	1880s–2023 (an earlier phase ended by 1915)
Whatley Quarry	Somerset	1939–Still active
Wren's Nest Limestone Mines	West Midlands	1780s (Castle Hill)–1920 (mining)
Yeolands Quarry	Dorset	to 2000s (largely redundant)