IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Pitstone Green Business Park, Quarry Road, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, LU7 9GW

This shows the Dry Process kiln system across an expanse of worked out marl pit. The picture was taken in 1977, before the second preheater stage was installed. The kiln started up in 1970 and shut down in 1991, after which the entire site was cleared. The centre section of the kiln was used to construct Padeswood kiln 4 (see Image). The stack was at SP9337214878. Rightwards from the stack, are the three parallel electrostatic precipitators, with dog-leg inlet ducts. Next come the three crusher/driers used to dry and roughly grind the very wet chalk/marl raw material, then the short preheater tower. Behind the kiln are silos for dried raw material, the rawmill and a set of rawmix blending silos. At the nearer (hot) end of the kiln, under an open sided canopy, part of the planetary cooler can be seen. In front of that, the triangular sectioned building is the 40,000 tonne clinker store. For more details, see http://www.cementkilns.co.uk/cement_kiln_pitstone.html.

To the south and west of the original village of Pitstone are these huge new industrial units housing high tech modern factories and data warehouses. To the east of these nearer the original Church End of the village is a large new estate of modern houses. The photograph is taken from the Ridgeway LDP on the northern flank of Pitstone Hill.

There are a number of new business units of varying types, mostly of medium to hi-tech industries in this business park. The entire site is built on land which used to be the Pitstone Cement Works whose now-demolished chimneys were a notable local feature for decades. A bit more information about the former works can be found here Image]

This is a long cutting of over 3km directly north of Tring Station. Here the West Coast Main Line is cutting through the chalk of the Chiltern Hills. The line follows the River Bulbourne through a gap in the escarpment.

One of the great attractions of the College Lake Nature Reserve is that as the seasons and the weather changes there is always something "new" to see - even if it simply involves seeing familiar things in a new way. On a day like this the path just fades away into the distance. The pile of logs (one of many) has been left to rot down and provide a home for invertebrate animals. Walk round College Lake in the fog > Image

The volunteer guide points out some of the plants in the meadow adjoining the track. The gate is to allow the sheep to be moved to different parts of the reserve. On the East side of the ring road there is a strip of meadow which has not been affected by the quarrying. However its raised location close to the deep railway cutting suggests it may have been part of the spoil bank when the cutting was dug in the 1830s. Walk round College Lake in the fog > Image

Taken looking back towards Tring from the new road that leads through to the industrial units and new housing at Pitstone Green. The water is a temporary feature being flooding caused by much recent heavy rain.

When the reserve was first established the northern lake was still an active chalk quarry and a large excavator dug the chalk using this wheel. When the quarry closed the excavator was left as a reminder of the quarrying activity – but was vandalized and there could have been health and safety problems. It was therefore removed and this wheel was left as a monument. (College Lake Nature Reserve http://www.bbowt.org.uk/content.asp?did=23523 )

Rare breed sheep are used on the reserve to help manage the grassed areas - in this case along the concrete road which allowed heavy machinery to get to the quarry face when the quarry was still working. In addition to being moved around the College Lake area they are also moved to other BBOWT nature reserves. Walk round College Lake in the fog > Image