Mountskill Quarry and tramway route, Helsby, Cheshire

Upon the slopes of Helsby Hill in Cheshire and deep within the woods is an abandoned 19th century sandstone quarry complete with visible quarry faces, an intriguing tunnel, a geology which goes back to the prehistoric period and I trace the route of It's long disappeared tramway into the town of Helsby.

[@jacquigrant5445]

Thank you so much for this video. My beloved Nan lived in Helsby and I spent many a weekend and school holiday staying with her. It was such an escape from Widnes where we lived. I always remember loving the 'Desperate Dan' face on Helsby Hill. One day my Nan, Auntie and cousin and myself spent the day climbing to the top of the hill and I can remember exploring the quarry and having a picnic there. This was maybe 35 years ago now and I've always wanted to go back and find the quarry and climb the 'Desperate Dan' hill again and relive those memories. This has definatley inspired me to revisit!

[@PASTFINDERexploring]

Thanks Jacqui. It's a great place isn't it? I'd love to do a bit of digging around there to see what I could find buried underground.

[@stevebeckwith5523]

Excellent work Pastfinder. Loved the quaint thin house.

[@PASTFINDERexploring]

Thanks Steve

[@Wussag]

Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed it. The 'thin houses' in the video are known locally as the spite houses. The tale is that the builder constructed the houses over three storeys tall due to a dispute with the owner of the cottage opposite, in order to block the far reaching views of the Mersey estuary and Liverpool beyond. I don't dispute your speculation that the footprint was restricted by the passage of the tramway, but as a resident of Helsby all of my life, I thought you might like to know a little local knowledge about how they came about their name.

[@PASTFINDERexploring]

@@Wussag Thanks Rob, great explanation. Always happy to learn stuff

[@lustycourtier2425]

Great stuff. My daily dog walk when we lived around there.

[@PASTFINDERexploring]

Thanks David. I find it a very enchanting place.

[@anthonymoore6009]

Really enjoyed that. Could it be ore or coal that was extracted from those seams?

[@PASTFINDERexploring]

I think it was all sandstone

[@cyberivor]

@@PASTFINDERexploring Hi yes it was all sandstone that was quarried there , most of it was shipped over to Liverpool for building, I used to live in the bungalow just before the quarry in the 70s before the woods and quarry were made user friendly it was my playground there were no fences then and we used to regularly go down into the quarry to explore, we even had a rope swing that swung out over the quarry edge, happy days