Glendon Ironstone Quarries

Overview

A district of Northampton Sand ironstone workings east of Kettering, worked almost continuously from 1863 to December 1979 — among the longest-lived ironstone quarrying operations in the East Midlands. Three linked quarrying areas straddled the Kettering-Corby main line and were worked in turn by the Glendon Iron Company, James Pain Ltd, and finally the Stanton Ironworks Company, feeding first a local blast furnace at Finedon and later the steelworks at Corby and Wellingborough.

History

The Glendon Iron Company began working ironstone on land leased from the Glendon Hall estate in 1863, and in 1866 a blast furnace was established at Finedon, on the Midland Railway, to take the ore. The original company was dissolved in 1885; a reconstructed company took over but failed in 1891, and James Pain Ltd took control in 1892, obtaining further leases, enlarging the mineral railways and introducing new steam locomotives and steam-powered excavators. Modernisation of the Glendon East quarry railway began in 1903. The Glendon North working was temporarily halted by the postwar recession, then reopened in 1941 as wartime demand for iron and steel increased, before closing again in February 1957. James Pain Ltd was taken over in 1928 by the Stanton Ironworks Company, which chose to revitalise the Glendon workings rather than reopen its own dormant pits at Rothwell Hill. A Ruston-Bucyrus 55RB dragline was introduced for overburden removal in 1950, and from 1947 ore was no longer calcined on site, being loaded directly into hopper wagons instead. Barford East Quarry closed on 8 December 1979, and the whole operation ended on 31 December 1979, when the last train moved 654 tons of ore from the Geddington quarry face; track was lifted and the locomotives removed from the site by May 1980.

Workings

Worked entirely by open-cast methods across three linked areas — Glendon North, Barford East and Glendon East — each with its own locomotive shed, bordering the Kettering-Corby main line. At least twelve locomotives worked the system over its history, from early steam Peckett saddletanks through to Class 14 diesels in its final years. A small, short-lived satellite working at Lamport, five acres worked by the Glendon Iron Company between 1882 and 1890 and linked by its own tramway to Lamport station, survives today only as a crescent-shaped depression visible from the Lamport-Draughton road; a separate early working at Burton Latimer, also opened by the Glendon Iron Company (in 1873), passed through several later owners before closing in 1921. Neither of these smaller satellite workings should be confused with the main Glendon North/Barford East/Glendon East complex.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The Glendon Iron Company began working ironstone at Glendon in 1863, and in 1866 a blast furnace was established at Finedon on the Midland Railway to take the ore. ¹
• James Pain Ltd took control of the workings in 1892, obtaining further leases and enlarging the mineral railways with new steam locomotives and excavators. ¹
• James Pain Ltd was taken over by the Stanton Ironworks Company in 1928, which chose to revitalise the Glendon workings rather than reopen its own dormant Rothwell Hill pits. ¹
• Barford East Quarry closed on 8 December 1979, and the whole operation ended on 31 December 1979 with the last train moving 654 tons of ore from the Geddington quarry face. ^1,2
• A small, five-acre satellite working at Lamport was operated by the Glendon Iron Company between 1882 and 1890, linked by its own tramway to Lamport station; it survives today only as a crescent-shaped depression in the ground. ³

Sources

1. (secondary) Glendon Ironstone Quarries Remembered — Rocks by Rail
2. (secondary) Glendon East Ironstone Quarry Railway Remembered — Rocks by Rail
3. (primary) Lamport Quarries - Glendon (MNN7684) — Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record

Record created: 26 August 2026 · Last researched: 26 August 2026