A Question Of Chemistry - Buxworth, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 20.150 W 001° 58.375
30U E 568390 N 5910122
This cast metal plaque is one of a series that gives information about the Bugsworth canal basin and tramway interchange.
Waymark Code: WMKYWZ
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/17/2014
Views: 1
Bugsworth Basin
The 18th Century had seen the development of the canal network in the UK to carry heavy goods, and led to towns such as Manchester become the first large industrial towns.
There was a demand for limestone and grit stone from the nearby quarries to be transported to Manchester and beyond and so the Peak Forest Canal was built with a connection to the Ashton Canal at Ashton-Under-Lyne.
The canal had a series of 16 locks to lift the canal a height of 209 feet from Ashton-Under-Lyne to this point, but the final rise to the quarries was to high for a canal. So a horse drawn tramway was built to form a connection between the canal junction here and the quarries themselves.
Much of the output from the quarries was loaded directly onto the canal boats but there was also a total of 19 lime kilns on this site to process the limestone into quick lime.
The wagons from the tramway took the limestone at a high level to the top of the kilns. After processing the processed quick lime was extracted from the bottom of the kiln and loaded onto the canal boats. A model of the site and information panel on the other side of the canal describe the operation of the site.
The site operated between 1796 until the 1920s. The canal and this basin was closed down and allowed to become derelict. However in the 1960s and 1970s leisure boating became popular and many canals were renovated and re-opened for leisure purposes.
Most of the Peak Forest Canal reopened 1974 and at that time terminated at Whaley Bridge. The remainder of the canal and this basin was reopened in 1999. However a major leak from the canal needed further renovation and it didn’t fully re-open until 2003. Much of the tramway has also been converted into a walking trail.
The basin is now protected as
Scheduled Ancient Monument number 242 under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
It should be noted that the name of the nearby village changed its name from Bugsworth to Buxworth in 1930, but the basin continues to be called Bugsworth basin.
Each of the signs have their own colour. This one is red with white lettering and describes the chemistry behind the limestone that was processed in the nearby lime kilns. It also has a diagram of the geological features of the area that contains the limestone.
A Question Of Lime
Limestone and lime consist mainly
of calcium. Humans, plants and
animals all need calcium to grow
and stay healthy. It is an important
chemical in everyday life.
Calcium belongs to the chemical family
of the alkaline earth metals. It occurs
naturally as limestone. The heat of the
kilns transforms limestone into lime.
This was one of the first chemical
reactions discovered by humankind.
When lime contacts water, it 'slakes'.
The reaction between lime and water
creates a lot of heat. Workers at
Bugsworth Canal Basin took special
care to ensure that the lime was kept
dry. Once slaked, it was unsuitable
for sale.
This sign is one of two attached to a stand on the banks of the lower part of the canal basin.