My little Pentax MX had been serviced and I was keen to take a roll of Kodak TMax 400 black and white film to see what shapes and textures I could discover. Strolling from Frosterley, across the Weardale railway and following the Mineral Valley Walk, it is easy to find a disused quarry. A quick internet search provides some suggestions to the name, but as I don’t personally know I shall just refer to this as “Quarry (disused)” as per my Ordnance Survey map. On the way I crossed the River Wear and was able to see down into a seasonal caravan park. It felt very much “out of season” in this chilly wind.
Looking uphill, to the south and toward Bollihope, there was a ridge with a few lonely trees along the horizon.
As I approached the quarry, a well aged sign post warned me to go no further. As our saviour taught us so we pray… forgive us our trespasses…
The quarry is cris-crossed with footprints and tyre tracks. This is clearly a well used recreation ground. Machinery and metalwork lay twisted and strewn across what could easily have been a 1970s sci-fi backdrop. What follows is what I saw through the lens. A mixture of textures, shapes, reflections and patterns.
All photographs taken with Pentax MX, SMC 50mm f1.4, Kodak 400 TMax Black & White film, Copyright © 2026, Graeme Holdsworth, all rights reserved.