Council Meeting – 1st December 1899

The Sixty-First Meeting of the Great Longstone Parish Council was held in the School Room, Great Longstone,
on Friday December 1st 1899.

Present:
Rev. G. Andrew
Messrs Coe, Dixon, Spanton, Ward and Shimwell (Clerk).

The Minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

Gilder Quarry

The following letter from Mr Wright was taken into consideration:

Longstone Hall, Bakewell
Oct 31st 1899

Dear Sir,

I have considerable difficulty in answering your letter of the 14th inst. as far as the subject of Quarry fences is concerned.

It has just been brought to my notice that men are at work (I cannot say with the permission of the Parish Council) extending the area of the quarry through the piles of the boundary wall on the East side in order to supply the District Surveyor, Mr Blackwell, with road stone. If the Parish Council have authorised this I am obliged to say that they are taking a most unfair advantage of their position and of the Award. I must protest against such procedure and also hold the Parish Council responsible for all consequences arising out of the destruction of this landmark. Whether or not the Council are cognisant of what is going on, I feel sure that no individual neighbour of mine would act so, and I trust that collectively they are no parties to it.

It is evident to any impartial unbiassed mind that the extreme limit on the Eastern side was fixed recognised long ago when the boundary wall of Gildlow Top was reached. The plantation was made on ground taken from the field above, as is evident from the inner wall encroaching into Gildlow Top. There can be no doubt that the plantation and the inner wall were put there as a precaution to safeguard the cattle, as there was the exact length of the quarry and no further; so that if they had not been put there no encroachment would have been thought of, as no one would have dared to destroy the main boundary fence against the quarry.

If the Parish Council wish me to be responsible for two of the fences, it is manifestly unfair to expect me to keep the East fence unless there is a certainty that the present haphazard and lawless quarrying will be stopped. I might be prepared to make the North fence and the West fence but as to the latter it would be necessary to guarantee that no soil should be allowed to rest against the wall.

Yours truly
G. J. Wright

On the motion of Mr Dixon it was resolved that it was advisable to meet Mr Wright at the quarry and endeavour to come to some amicable arrangement, and that Mr Wright be requested to meet the Council at the quarry on Wednesday the 6th inst. at 2.30 p.m.

This was seconded by Mr Coe and carried unanimously.

The Clerk was instructed to communicate with the County Surveyor to repair the Church Lane at his earliest convenience.

Signed
G. Andrew
Chairman