abbotsford eldon hills Peak District National Park Derbyshire England Castleton limestone hill
Eldon Hill is situated in the Peak District National Park in the county of Derbyshire, England four kilometres southwest of the village of Castleton. It is a grass-covered limestone hill which reaches a height of 470 metres (1542 feet). It is primarily pastureland and is used for rough grazing, although a large proportion of the hill has been lost to limestone quarrying. It lies within the Castleton Site of Special Scientific Interest. Eldon Hill was formed when a bed of pure limestone was squeezed and upfolded by geological forces to form a dome; it is the highest limestone hill north of the River Wye. The hill is of considerable geological, historical and industrial interest; it lies at the northern limit of the carboniferous limestone in the Peak District, as further north it merges into the millstone grit of the Dark Peak. The hill's name comes from the Old English language and means Elves Hill, as many years ago people believed that elves lived in the many potholes and caves on the hill. In 1285 the hill was called Elvedon. The main feature of Eldon Hill which strikes all visitors is the amount of quarrying that has been done on the site. Quarrying permission was granted in 1950 and huge quantities of limestone have been excavated, mostly for road-building purposes. A large amount of the northern and northwestern slopes of the hill have disappeared and it has been called the best-known eyesore in the Peak District[3]. In 1995 an application by RMC Aggregates to extend the quarrying further east was denied as parliament tightened up on environmental problems caused by old mineral permissions granted between 1948 and 1981. The quarry closed in 1999 and now stands unused with vegetation starting to grow on the quarry face. There have been some attempts at natural restoration with several aquatic pools being established in the former workings. The termination of quarrying has also given cavers the chance to explore some of the narrow caves exposed by
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