The alum quarries and the alum works have gone, made redundant by developments in technology. Most of the inland sites closed in the eighteenth century, overtaken by the more efficient works on the coast. Belman Bank and the major coastal sites of Loftus, Boulby, Sandsend and Peak kept working until the 1860s and 1870s until they too became uneconomic.
What is left is a series of altered landscapes. The busy quarries and works of this massive industry stand now like ghosts. Located in the spectacular and tranquil scenery of the moors and coast, they are fascinating places to visit – full of history and touched by magic.
Click on the site names below to find out more about these quarries and details on visiting them.
- Guisborough Works
- Slapewath
- Selby Hagg
- Saltburn
- Loftus
- Boulby
- Kettleness
- Sandsend
- Mulgrave Alum Works
- Saltwick
- Hawsker Bottoms
- Peak Works
- Stoupe Brow
- Littlebeck
- Eskdale Side
- Godeland Banks
- Thimbleby
- Carlton Bank
- Kirkby
- Ayton Bank
If you would like to see and visit some of these quarries many of them are open to the public or can be seen from public rights of way. To help get you started and encourage you to get outside and see the beauty and wildlife within these industrial relics we have created some mini-alum walks leaflets to download and produced a guide to some of the easier to see alum quarries.