Nine Ladies Anti-Quarry Campaign
By Badgemagus Shield Knight LAW, 2000
In one of the countries most beautiful landscapes in the Peak District, inside National Trust Land, there stands an ancient stone circle known as The Nine Ladies, which is seriously under threat from a plan to reopen two dormant quarries, Endcliff and Lees Cross.
These two sites are directly below the Stones and received their planning permission in 1952, but under the legislation of today, the permission would never have been granted.
The quarrying will cover a thirty-mile area, which will destroy wildlife that has reclaimed the old quarries of days gone by. Stanton Moor is a very historic area and holds at least four stone circles and it has a Bronze Age burial site.
For years it has been a very active circle and in recent years it has been used for the scattering of peoples ashes.
English Heritage protects these sites, as too does National Trust, and yet it seems that the quarrying will last for forty years and will put the whole area at risk. The borders of the quarry will be within just two hundred yards of the Nine Ladies!!!
The wild life under threat includes a herd of Norwegian Fallow deer. Badger sets are scattered all over the place, Foxes are known to live there as well as a colonies of rare bats.
Local resident are totally opposed to the reopening of the quarries.
This is due to the amount of noise pollution, dust and heavy trucks passing through their villages. It will also affect their water supply, which they get from local streams instead of pipes and so would become heavily contaminated.
A non-violent direct action camp has been set up by the Eco Warriors several of whom are members, the Loyal Arthurian Warband. Near the proposed quarry, sites have been set up containing benders, tree houses and walkways.
Many of the Warriors are experienced in quarry demos and are fun to be with, they have been there since the protest started, with others coming off from other protest camps recently evicted.
I have had the good fortune to meet friends there and have made new ones too. People are needed all the time and equipment is needed desperately.
If you can send or take up any thing that you can it would be gratefully appreciated. There are communal benders, which you can sleep in, should you need the space.
If you care to go up there for a weekend and give support to the protestors, the directions are as follows –
By train: Trains run from Derby to Matlock (which is the nearest town to the Nine Ladies.)
By Bus: the R61 or the Trans-Peak run from Derby or Nottingham to Manchester get off at Roseley and walk up the hill to the Nine Ladies. The Arriva Bus 123 and trains run from Leicester to Derby.