Crags

Taken from the DMBC web site:

"The Crags are a chain of north facing-slopes forming one Side of a 'funnel' leading into the Don Gorge. They have been known as the Crags for at least 100 years, although the name on the 1841 Ordnance Survey map is Northcliffe Hills.

Wildlife
The limestone soil of this steep-sloping rocky ground is in a sea of grasses, dotted with sparse, bent backed shrubs and pockets of gem-like wild flowers. Look carefully in summer you might discover bright Tormentil, delicate Cowslip, coiling White Bryony or even the exotic Bee Orchid. Myriad insect species flourish on this rich grassland while Skylarks, Linnets and Sparrowhawks share the skies with many other birds. Small creatures scurry along secret paths and underground tunnels - Field mice, Common Shrews, Moles and Hedgehogs among them.

Early times
In ancient times the Crags overlooked marshy expanses beside the river Don. These rocky outcrops were vital to local transport, communication and defense. They provided firm ground for travel and vantage points for surveying the landscape.

Northcliffe Quarry
For centuries limestone has been quarried around Conisborough to cottages, farms, and walls, as well as the castle and the church. However, most stone from Northcliffe Quarry was burnt in kilns to make fertilizer.
A tramway known as the Incline carried drotts, or trucks, to transport stone to the kilns. There was a winch at the top of the tramway, powered by one man turning a handle! You can still see the remains of the incline if you look carefully.
In 1968 the opening of Denaby Main Colliery meant that new houses were built for miners. These required mortar and plaster, made from stone out of Northcliffe Quarry. The quarry is a Local Nature Reserve Site and a Site of Scientific Interest."