MineArchiveNewbridge Ironstone Quarry
| Location | between Slipton and Twywell, near Woodford, Northamptonshire — 52.3560, -0.6270 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Iron |
| Type | Ironstone |
| Worked | 1867–1880s |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure has yet been located. |
| Operators | Thomas Walters (1867–1873), Newbridge Iron Ore Co. (1873–?) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A Northamptonshire ironstone working between Slipton and Twywell, operated by Thomas Walters from 1867 and then the Newbridge Iron Ore Co. from 1873, part of the wider 19th-century ironstone-quarrying boom around Woodford and Twywell.
History
Newbridge Ironstone Quarry worked ironstone ground between Slipton Lane and the lane to Twywell village, in the Woodford area of Northamptonshire. It was operated by Thomas Walters from 1867, and then by the Newbridge Iron Ore Co. from 1873. The wider Woodford/Twywell district saw a substantial ironstone boom through the second half of the 19th century: the local Arbuthnot family had already begun digging iron ore on their own estate from around 1851 -- a sample was exhibited at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park that same year -- and the opening of the Kettering to Thrapston railway in 1866, with a connecting tramway to Twywell, gave quarries across the district, including Newbridge, an economical route to market. Quarrying in the wider area continued into the 1880s.
Workings
Worked ironstone ground between Slipton Lane and the lane to Twywell village, served by a tramway connecting to the Kettering-Thrapston railway (opened 1866) at Twywell.
Closure
No reliable specific closure date for Newbridge itself has been located; the wider Woodford/Twywell ironstone district continued quarrying into the 1880s.
What remains
No reliable current-condition detail has yet been located.
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.
- Newbridge Ironstone Quarry was operated by Thomas Walters from 1867 and then the Newbridge Iron Ore Co. from 1873, working ground between Slipton Lane and the lane to Twywell village. 1
- The Kettering to Thrapston railway opened in 1866 with a connecting tramway to Twywell, giving district quarries an economical route to market; the local Arbuthnot family had already begun digging ironstone from around 1851, a sample being shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
Further context on the wider Woodford/Twywell ironstone-quarrying district.
View sourceSources
- (primary) 8464/1/2 - Twywell Quarries — Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record
- (secondary) Woodford, Northamptonshire — Wikipedia
Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026