Geology

The rocks of the Baildon area belong to the Carboniferous era, deposited some 310 million years ago. The sandstones are known locally as Rough Rocks and have been quarried at Baildon Bank, and various sites on Baildon moor. Baildon, once a textile village was built of these materials and many eighteenth to nineteenth century buildings still exist.

Baildon Hill itself is made up of layers of sandstone and mudstones together with coal seams. Coal was extracted continuously from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Ironstone was found with the coal seams and the iron was extracted locally in furnaces known as bloomeries. Ganister, a hard silica-rich stone was also quarried, and together with local clays was used to produce firebricks, made at Baildon Green some of which lined the local mill chimneys. The Rough Rock was quarried close to the Eaves car park on the Moorside. The lost hamlet of Moorside was built of materials quarried here, with different qualities of rocks used for the walls, the floors and even as roof tiles.

Flora and Fauna

Much of Baildon Moor is covered in bracken, which has increased since the removal of grazing sheep. Control measures are being considered at the moment. There are several habitats on the moor- the drier parts have various grasses, such as purple moor grass, whilst the wetter parts have the conspicuous cotton grass and common reed. Of particular interest to the botanist is Sconce Crag, designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Here can be found a large area of bog asphodel, with its bright yellow summer flowers turning a rusty brown in autumn. In the same area, the common sundew, an insectivorous plant grows, indicating a lack of nitrogen in the soil. Other areas of the moor have heather, crowberry and bilberry.

Rabbits, brown hare and smaller mammals breed on the moor. Deer and foxes are occasionally seen.

Lapwings, golden plover, fieldfare and redwing are among many resident and migratory birds which can be seen on or near the moor. A monthly report of bird sightings appears on The Friends Of Baildon Moor website.

In addition, there is a rich flora and fauna associated with Shipley Glen and Bracken Hall Green All three of our native woodpeckers can be seen in the woods. Archaeology

Baildon Moor may appear to be a natural landscape but it is the very opposite. For many millennia man has been changing the environment. Evidence has been found of hunter-gatherers visiting the area, in the Neolithic Period. Burial mounds and cairns have also been recorded dating from the Bronze Age. It is the rock art, often called cup and ring stones, which attract the most interest. Many are found on as well as on Baildon Moor. They were carved some 4000 years ago. They are usually found as horizontal stones in the grassy areas, but one has been placed upright against a wall near Dubrodden Farm, and is easier to find than the rest. The reason for carving these rocks is unknown.

Local History

Baildon Moor has been extensively mined for coal and the shallow depressions, which look like bomb craters, are remains of early mining, many of them bellpits. There were two rifle ranges on the moor, competitions started there in the late 1850s with the Volunteer Rifle Corps. Baildon became a centre for shooting competitions, with all the large towns in West competing, prizes being donated by prominent Bradfordians. The moor was until 1899 part of the manor of Baildon. It was Colonel Maude who sold the 778 acres of common lands to Bradford Corporation In 1939 an anti aircraft searchlight battery was set up near the Eaves car park as part of the war defences. Tank manoeuvres were also carried out on the moor.

Shipley Glen and Baildon Moor were the great outdoors for the mill workers of the Victorian and Edwardian era. Sunday was the only day of rest, so the people flocked to the entertainments such as the Aerial Glide at Shipley Glen and the wide-open spaces of the moor Large crowds also gathered for political rallies- the Independent Labour Party and the Suffragettes both had well attended open-air meetings on the Glen. People met for less savoury reasons – such as to watch prize fighting and even cock fighting. Knur and Spell games also attracted large crowds, with gambling rife.

Today there are many users of the moor- golfers, dog walkers, horse riders, model plane and kite enthusiasts, mountain bikers, runners… The list is endless

For more information please visit www.baildonmoor.org