Visit: Johnsons Wellfield at Crosland Moor

A morning visit in August 2019 gave 26 HCS members, friends and relatives an insight into the processes which have made Johnsons Wellfield at Crosland Hill the country’s most distinguished producer of natural York sandstone.

Having been greeted and fitted with safety helmets, ear plugs and jackets, the group were split into two to accommodate  a visit to the stone yards, cutting sheds and the working face of the quarry.

Guides Neil and Nick, whose families had had long associations with quarrying in the area, shared their knowledge in explaining the geology of the quarries and the uses for the stone which has been used in towns and buildings across the UK and abroad.

We were taken to the yards where large stone blocks are stored, including one  engraved with the face of Compo (Bill Owen), which is awaiting transportation to Holmfirth.

In the sheds – ear plugs needed – stone was being precision-cut to different sizes and shapes with the aid of computers, supervised by qualified masons. Two  types of machinery were in operation; a diamond toothed circular saw and a reciprocating saw which uses diamonds for fine cutting. Huge amounts of water are required to keep the cutting edges cool, but it is recycled.

Minibuses transported the group to the bottom of the huge quarry along a rough track where a massive digger was moving rock and soil. The driver then swapped the bucket for a picker, using its cutting point to manoeuvre behind a slab on the quarry face and remove a huge lump of sandstone. This  process was repeated a number of times with skill and apparent ease.

The next stage vividly demonstrated how one man could split a huge rock to a more manageable size. For this he used ‘duck and feather’ wedges, placing about six in a line, hammering each in turn and constantly checking if the block was splitting along the correct line and listening for a change of sound as it began to split. Again, all achieved with apparent ease but clearly demonstrating the skill and training of the quarry workforce.

Back in the yards, the group watched the splitting and dressing of stone by two men preparing riven  paving slabs which is all done by hand and ear;  listening to the stone splitting as they use a hammer and chisel to produce the traditional slabs.

Thanks were given to the organisers and guides who provided a very thorough insight into one of Huddersfield’s most celebrated industries.