Newbold Quarry is an 11-hectare (27 acres) nature reserve about 1½ miles (2.4 km) north-west of Rugby town centre, Warwickshire, England. It consists of a former quarry, now water-filled, surrounded by woodlands, and is managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of Rugby Borough Council.^[1][2]

The site was formerly used to quarry for Blue Lias limestone, used in the local cement industry. Quarrying at the site was initiated in 1877 by the Newbold Lime & Cement Co., and several cement kilns operated alongside the quarry. Production ended in 1910, started again briefly in 1920, and was abandoned permanently by 1923 after the quarry flooded. The plant was dismantled in 1927.^[3]

Flora and fauna

The lake is home to white clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes), and in spring hosts large numbers of breeding toads. The plants in the surrounding lime-rich clay support a wide range of butterfies.^[1]

The surrounding woodland consists of ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), edged with hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). The lime-rich clay supports many lime-loving plants, and a wide range of butterflies.^[1]