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You are here : Home : Industry : Brickworks and Quarries : Close Brow Quarry

Click Here to see film footage of the view from Close Brow Quarry in 1960.

Workings now used for tip, overgrown spoil heaps in fields below quarry site.

Close Brow Quarry is split into two parts on either side of Wilpshire Road. The quarry site on the Blackburn side of the road is now overgrown and the site has been used for tipping, mainly from Philips or Mullards at Blackburn.

The quarry is also known as Harper Clough, and has been designated a site of Special Scientific Interest, along with Smalley Delph, which can be found 100 yards away over the boundary in Great Harwood.

Visible Image 1 - The picture shows quite clearly the spoil heaps found at Close Brow. This heap is on the West side of Wilpshire road, looking toward Blackburn. (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - The 2nd picture is taken from the same location, but is looking back towards Great Harwood slightly. Rishton itself is directly behind. This pictures shows overgrown spoil heaps which are now covered by trees.

Known locally as Star Delph Quarry because of the rock formation, the quarry was first abandoned in 1897.

The rocks in this part of the quarry were formed about 130 million years ago in the Carboniferous period. This was when Britain had a hot climate, similar to the tropicals that we have today.

The entire area was part of a river delta system, similar to the Mississippi Delta, these powerful rivers carried mud and sand from the erosion caused to the mountain ranges, and left them in the calmer deltas, such as was Rishton. These areas between the river channels were swampy and marshy, liable to flooding from the high tides down the rivers.

The mud was deposited, and dead plant life became thin layers of coal.

Millions of years later, with the compression of the mud, rocks were formed, and Earth movement caused the rocks to fold and tilt. The rock face in Star Delph would at one time been horizontal.

Visible Image 1 - Garth Wilkinson stood on the star in January 2004 (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - Part of the quarry does still exist on the opposite side of Wilpshire Road. This is known locally as Star Delph. Below is a picture which partially explains this. The picture was supplied by Great Harwood user group at Yahoo.

IIt is unknown if the star was caused by the blasting in the quarry (urban myth), or if it was a fossil. The fossil seems to formed by a Lepidonendron, which was a tall forest tree, one of the Carboniferous coal-makers. It had forked roots often rooted in shale's, so seems likely. The other one was Stigmaria, which is fairly easy to recognise because it's trunk looked like layers [or bundles] of cigarettes. The Stigmaria was actually part of the Lepidonendron plant, being its roots.

Visible Image 1 - The Star in the rock, and the new footpath leading to it under construction in January 2004. (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - Part of the Rock Formation in Close Brow.

A Letter was read from and a Plan submitted by, The Sphinx Terra Cotta Works, Rishton, for permission to erect a small brick kiln in Close Brow Quarries, on the 4th March 1937. The Plan was referred to the Regional Planning Committee for their consideration and report.

At the same time, 4th March 1937, The Council Surveyor reported that the Dunkenhalgh Estate had erected a wooden fence near the top of Close Brow and recommended the erection of a danger sign near the top of Close Brow. The Surveyor was instructed to obtain and erect a suitable danger sign in the position referred to.

In April, 1937 Plans were submitted for a brick kiln to be built in Close Nook Quarry, the plans were deferred for more information. On May 6th, the council surveyor reported on the position of an application received by Sphinx Terra-Cotta Works operating from Close Nook Quarries, and the Building of a brick Kiln was approved. The kiln was to be a small down-draught brick kiln, to be used as for experimental work only.

Visible Image 1 - The Fauna found in Close Brow Quarry, July 2004. (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - The new path under construction, and more examples of the Fauna in January 2004.

The site now remains as a place of beauty and during the latter end of the 1970's and early 1980's the quarry was maintained by Norden County High School. Footpaths were laid and the site was declared a place of natural beauty, the area being used once more as a picnic site.

Pupils from the school attended the site and cleared it of litter and debris, cleaning the brambles and bushes in preparation of a nature trail.

Due to demands and resources at the school, eventually the work of the pupils was curtailed and the site left to overgrow once more, until the year 2003 when Lords House Farm became involved with the quarry. (see later)

On Friday 21st February 1997, businesses were being urged to reduce the amount of waste they produced, to help their bank balance as well as the environment.

The new Eliminate initiative run by the Environmental Management Services Team at Groundwork Blackburn, was a pilot scheme to help companies cut expensive waste disposal bills by adopting environmentally friendly practices, which was launched at Philips Components new landfill site, at Close Brow Quarry, Rishton. This was the area to the left of Wilpshire road as you travelled up the hill, and had been used by Mullards for many many years as a tip.

Visible Image 1 - The walkway through the quarry. (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - The Star in July 2004.

During the pilot scheme, 20 East Lancashire companies were given advice and assistance with waste auditing and monitoring to help both reduce the amount of waste they produce and develop alternative ways of dealing with it.

Eliminate also helped companies ensure they were meeting the requirements of new waste legislation. The project was supported by grants from the European Regional Development Fund and the Environment Agency.

The following year, on Monday 10 August 1998, it was claimed that Babies were at risk through dumping waste. TOXIC dumps across East Lancashire were putting babies at risk of being born with birth defects, a green pressure group claimed. Environmentalists published a list of sites across East Lancashire - and labelled the county a national blackspot for toxic dumps.

New scientific research showed that mothers living close to the dumps were more likely to give birth to sick children. Friends of the Earth said Lancashire had more landfill sites containing toxic waste than any other part of the country. A report in the Lancet medical journal said that women living within two miles of toxic landfill sites were up to a third more likely to have babies with problems like holes in the heart and spina bifida.

There were 15 local sites which were licensed to take toxic waste, including materials with high levels of poisons such as arsenic and cyanide, Close Brow Quarry, Rishton, was one of them.  According to Friends of the Earth, the problem could be much greater, as before the mid-1970's there was little control over what types of waste were dumped at sites all over the country. Mike Childs, Senior Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "The Government must take swift action to protect babies from these toxic tips. Health studies should be carried out around all landfill sites in the UK, there could be thousands of sites threatening people's health and the Government must take action now. Although landfill sites are licensed and controlled, there are still problems as emissions of these toxic substances can blow across the local countryside."

The Environment Agency, which regulates and licences toxic dumps, said that more research was needed into the potential risks. A spokesman said: "The study in the Lancet did not look at any landfill sites in Lancashire. There is no proven link between landfill sites and health defects. The scientists involved in this study recommended that more research is done. The Agency is looking at the results. We regulate and licence landfill sites to ensure they are operated correctly and people living nearby should not worry."

In October 2003, Close Brow Quarry was officially unveiled with new footpaths and faunae.

List of Plant Species found in Close Brow Quarry

Atrichum Undulatum

Brachythecium Rutabulum

Bryum Capillare

Various Capillare

Calypogeia Arguta

Calypogeia Fissa

Dicranella Heteromalla

Dicranoweisia Cirrata

Dicranum Scoparium

Diplophyllum Albicans

Eurhynchium Praelongum

Fissidens Bryoides

Fissidens Taxifolius

Various Taxifolius

Hypnum Cupressiforme

Hypnum Jutlandicum

Hypnum Resupinatum

Isopterygium Elegans

Isothecium Myosuroides

Various Myosuriodes

Lophocolea Bidentata

Lophocolea Heterophylla

Metzgeria Fruticulosa

Metzgeria Furcata

Mnium Hornum

Orthotrichum Affine

Orthotrichum Diaphanum

Pellia Epiphylla

Plagiothecium Succulentum

Polytrichum Commune

Various Commune

Polytrichum Formosum

Rhytidiadelphus Loreus

Ulota Crispa

Various Norvegica

Zygodon Conoideus

Work had been carried out by Lords House Farm, at the back of Close Nook Cottages to the quarry itself as well as a new path leading from the farm car park to the quarry.

Visible Image 1 - The entrance to Close Brow Quarry from Lords House Farm in July 2004. (MOVE YOUR MOUSE POINTER OVER THE IMAGE TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PICTURE) Hidden Image 2 - Garth Wilkinson in the bowels of the Close Brow Quarry in January 2004.

The site was believed to be Bryologically valuable for its Willow Carr, the enclosed quarry and permanent ground water produced by the stream there ensured a constant high humidity, which were considered ideal conditions for epiphytes.

The massive trunks and branches of the Willow Carr were preserved in the creation and renewal of the footpaths in the quarry, and the fossil face was cleaned. The mature Willows were considered valuable habitat of the quarry.

in the former Harper Clough Quarry, better known as Star Delph, there is a three million-year-old fossilised tree root that has led to the area being named a site of specific scientific interest protected by English Nature.