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Dubbs Quarry sits right on the eastern boundary of Stevenston, between Broom Farm and Kilwinning Road. I’d not visited for over a year, so I took a wander yesterday. I was struck by a giant, dried-out muddy pool and its ‘crazy paving’ pattern. I thought it worth a photo. Also below is a photo of the flooded Dubbs Quarry, which appears to be in the (slow) process of being filled-in.

Did you know the 1800s map shows it was just a claypit before it became a quarry ?
They recently put an access point for the quarry on the north bound lane of the by-pass just before the roundabout.

Hi ARB, It’s interesting to hear that the site has been active for so long. I think the new road was constructed to facilitate infilling of the quarry. WH Malcolm seemed in no hurry to use the new road though - it was only relatively recently that serious in-filling began.

Hi iain, I used to visit this quarry about 30 years ago with my sons, but looking at your very interesting photographs it has changed. We were in search of fossils in the compacted mud, it could be best described as soft slate, there were ghost like images of invertebrates of some kind, it was a good way to spend some quality time with my boys. Some of the sides had been undercut, I was told Kilwinning residents had been digging out the narrow seams of coal that were there. This was at the tail end of a period when locals were suffering the unrest between the political party in power and the miners union. It was some years later that the local news reported the drowning of a Kilwinning youth in this quarry, I couldn't quite get my head around this as I only remember a puddle in there but your photographs clearly show a substantial water course.

ps, is that desert boots you're wearing.

LP, that’s very interesting stuff. I don’t recall hearing anyone mention fossils in Dubbs Quarry before. It’s also surprising to hear that the depth of water is a relatively recent thing. I recall that as far back as 20 years ago it was a popular site for swimming and diving - it must have flooded quite quickly after your last visit.

PS They are quite hardy hiking boots, but they don’t last much longer than a winter or two of walking (i.e. wading) around Stevenston!

I paid a visit to the Quarry a few weeks ago and they are making definite progress infilling the site. (I say ‘progress’, but it was an attractive little oasis and it would have been great if the pool was simply made safe and the site left to nature.)

iain wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2015 5:21 pm I paid a visit to the Quarry a few weeks ago and they are making definite progress infilling the site. (I say ‘progress’, but it was an attractive little oasis and it would have been great if the pool was simply made safe and the site left to nature.)

How did you get access to the quarry? Did you cut through the fields near Broom farm?

0802, no, I accessed the quarry via the field between the quarry and Morrisons supermarket. Unfortunately, the quarry is no more - it has now been completely filled-in. It was an attractive natural feature, a wildlife oasis and was considered by Scottish Natural Heritage as a potential Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) owing to it's geological importance (it was never made an SSSI, because infilling had already started).

mud, mud, glorious mud...

I should think for safety reasons it would be filled in. Nothing like water to draw children in this weather .

SC

I agree, SC, that it was a site that needed to be made safe. What's disappointing is that they went beyond making the waterbody safe - they filled it in completely and bulldozed all the woodland, scrub and other habitats at the site.

iain wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:24 pm 0802, no, I accessed the quarry via the field between the quarry and Morrisons supermarket. Unfortunately, the quarry is no more - it has now been completely filled-in. It was an attractive natural feature, a wildlife oasis and was considered by Scottish Natural Heritage as a potential Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) owing to it's geological importance (it was never made an SSSI, because infilling had already started).

I never got the chance to visit which I wish I had done prior to it being filled in. Shame it's no more, I wonder what will become of the site now.