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***SWAAG_ID***	217
Date Entered	29/05/2011
Updated on	19/12/2013
Recorded by	Alan and Judith Mills
Category	Mining Related
Record Type	Mining
Site Access	Public Access Land
Record Date	28/05/2011
Location	Whaw Edge
Civil Parish	Arkengarthdale
Brit. National Grid	NY 98823 02746
Altitude	1650ft approx
Geology	Crow Chert
Record Name	Hungry Hushes Chert Quarries
Record Description	The Hungry Hushes Chert Quarries were in operation from around 1932 until 1950. The main workings were in three underground levels. The chert was extracted as blocks, in the form of 'pavers' and 'runners' and used in the potteries to crush flint to make porcelain. For a full description of the process see Jackson. The blocks were taken down a steep embankment, presumably on bogies on rails, to a loading and final dressing area (NY 98844 02830). A double-acting incline, using the weight of descending bogies to haul the empty ones up, led downhill to a loading platform on the Arkengarthdale road, near CB Yard. Evidence on the ground suggests that there was an earlier loading area ( at NY 98806 02855) with an earlier tramway (visible at NY 98809 02849) leading to it. The men referred to themselves as quarrymen rather than miners. Their tools were sharpened and bogies repaired at the Smithy (NY 98763 02788) high above the loading area. See British Mining No.53 "The Arkengarthdale Mines", L.O. Tyson, p88ff and British Mining No. 90 "50 Years of Mining History", p121ff, "Chert quarrying in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale", Kay Jackson. This latter paper is available to members only in abbreviated form on this website.
Additional Notes	By S. Eastmead: Most, probably all gravity acting tramways of this type have a double track. There is no evidence for this, although a short passing bay mid-way cannot be eliminated. They did provide a small engine in a shed perhaps slight more than 50% of the total distance from the quarry to the road. This would not have been necessary if it was a gravity tramway. It seems more likely that the braking drum at the top of the incline controlled the loaded wagons perhaps all the way to the road, or at least to the engine house. The engine could have been used to power the wagons along the relatively flat lower section and pulling the empty wagons back up the incline. The total length to the later workings is approximately 998m. Halfway would therefore be 499m from the top. The engine house is thought to be located approximately 563m from the top, and the earlier workings met the lower common section at approximately 176m from the top. It is at, or just below this junction that there is a short wider section of flat land that could theoretically have been used for a short length of double track to allow wagons to pass. See image 18.
Image 1 ID	706 Click image to enlarge
Image 1 Description	Band of blue chert in middle of picture
Image 2 ID	707 Click image to enlarge
Image 2 Description	Leading to a chert level entrance, now collapsed (NY 98823 02746)
Image 3 ID	708 Click image to enlarge
Image 3 Description	Another chert level entrance nearby; also collapsed
Image 4 ID	709 Click image to enlarge
Image 4 Description	Looking down the embankment to the loading area & incline / tramway
Image 5 ID	713 Click image to enlarge
Image 5 Description	Remains of the Smithy
Image 6 ID	712 Click image to enlarge
Image 6 Description	Initials on outside of Smithy
Image 7 ID	711 Click image to enlarge
Image 7 Description	Embankment from near Smithy
Image 8 ID	705 Click image to enlarge
Image 8 Description	Looking up the embankment
Image 9 ID	715 Click image to enlarge
Image 9 Description	Remains of building at top of incline which housed the wooden drum & brake
Image 10 ID	714 Click image to enlarge
Image 10 Description	Embankment with building from image 9 in foreground
Image 11 ID	701 Click image to enlarge
Image 11 Description	Chert spoil near top of incline
Image 12 ID	704 Click image to enlarge
Image 12 Description	Spoil near top of incline
Image 13 ID	702 Click image to enlarge
Image 13 Description	Looking down the incline from the loading area
Image 14 ID	710 Click image to enlarge
Image 14 Description	Possibly the route of the original incline / tramway
Image 15 ID	739 Click image to enlarge
Image 15 Description	A very small section of intact flue found at NY 99097 02863
Image 16 ID	740 Click image to enlarge
Image 16 Description	A very small section of intact flue found at NY 99097 02863
Image 17 ID	741 Click image to enlarge
Image 17 Description	A very small section of intact flue found at NY 99097 02863
Image 18 ID	4442 Click image to enlarge
Image 18 Description	Google Earth Chert Tramway - see Additional Notes
Image 19 ID	4897 Click image to enlarge
Image 19 Description	Lidar Image of Mouldside showing smelt mill flues and the chert tramway. Â© Environment Agency copyright 2013. All rights reserved.