Attraction in Derby
National Stone Centre
Porter Lane
Wirksworth
Derby
Derbyshire
DE4 4LS
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The National Stone Centre is a place crammed with ancient tropical
reefs, rocks and minerals, centuries of industrial history, and is full of
wildlife treasures - a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
It is set in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, on the edge of the Peak
National Park.
The National Stone Centre's aim is to tell the 'Story of Stone' in the UK -
its geological origins, the history of its working from earliest times, its
multiplicity of uses, environmental issues and its contribution to landscape
and art.
The National Stone Centre site contains six former quarries, four lime kilns
and over one hundred and twenty disused lead mine shafts. The National Stone
Centre site covers 50 acres (20 Ha), about half of which is designated
nationally as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its
geological features.
Almost all the site is of limestone deposited in Carboniferous times 330
million years ago. At the bottom (southern edge), the limestone is overlain
by younger shales and mudstones (and thin glacial deposits) which also form
the rising ground, below the Millstone Grit crags.
Details
Groups/Parties Welcome: Yes
Catering: Refreshments
More Attractions nearby
Pickford's House Museum (0.09 miles)
Derby City Museum and Art Gallery (0.21 miles)
Q Gallery (0.22 miles)
Derby Cathedral (0.26 miles)
Derby Industrial Museum (0.28 miles)
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