A study of a geological map of Cumberland shows that Aspatria sits on a sea of coal, interspersed with pockets of sandstone. Whereas the exploration of coal was responsible for the cultural character of the expanding town, it was sandstone that shaped its geographical form. The earliest recorded excavation of the material is described in the inquisition of 1758, when Thomas Troughear of Dovenby, held a parcel of freehold land containing a quarry known as Locks Holes.
Nineteenth century quarrying began under a proprietor named Joseph Wilson, who was succeeded by a local builder named Mason Brough. There were eventually four major quarries in and around the town; West Quarry situated on the road leading from Hayton to Aspatria; Wellington, sunk adjacent to No 4 pit at Brayton; Westnewton, half way between the town and the village that bore its name; and leading from a lane on the Outgang, the quarry at Winbarrows.
From these quarries Sandstone was extracted for the building of the church, the extension to Brayton Hall, the lodges on the Brayton estate and a substantial number of the town’s houses. All of these quarries were owned at one time by local building contractor, Henry Graves. In 1851, he opened Westnewton on a royalty belonging to Jane Aldersly, a freeholder from Lord Leconsfield. The annual fee was £80 per acre. The thirty foot thick slab of stone lay twenty feet below the surface. Many monuments remain to testify to Graves skill; the beautiful churches at Bridekirk, Plumbland and Silloth; the noble mansions at Papcastle and Tallantire; the old railway station at Cockermouth, the impressive Castle Terrace on King Street and many of the railway bridges around the district. In May 1889, several immense blocks of sandstone each weighing between three and five tons were dispatched from this quarry to America, where they were used for decorative purposes. By 1891, two of these quarries had closed.
The neighbouring village of Hayton was heavily dependant upon quarrying. The first quarry, cut on a royalty owned by William Joliffe, formed part of an extensive rookery in the Castle grounds called “Crow Park. This was extensively worked by Blackstock and Mckie, railway contractors; who cut red sandstone blocks during the construction of the Maryport and Carlisle railway. They also supplied stone for the erection of the village school, church and several houses. The quarry was the only public employer in the village and prior to its closure in 1850, the population stood at 461, this contrasted with a figure of 283 thirty years later. In 1887, William Hodgson, a surgeon from Aspatria, decided to extend this royalty on the opposite side of the road. This slab of stone was between ten and twelve feet thick.
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