Wingate Quarry is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the County Durham district of east County Durham, England. Part of the site is also a Local Nature Reserve It is a disused quarry located just south of the village of

Wheatley Hill Wheatley Hill is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the west of Peterlee Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England. It lies between Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east a ...

. The quarry was worked for

Magnesian Limestone The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between ...

until the 1930s, when it closed. Since then a large and varied grassland has developed on the site. Magnesian limestone grassland is nationally scarce, with this site accounting for close to 8 percent of the national total. As well as species that are characteristic of this vegetation type, there are also two orchids, fragrant orchid, ''

Gymnadenia conopsea ''Gymnadenia conopsea'', commonly known as the fragrant orchid or chalk fragrant orchid, is a herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae native to northern Europe. Etymology The name of the genus ''Gymnadenia'' is formed from Greek words (', ...

'', and frog orchid, '' Coeloglossum viride'', both of which are uncommon in County Durham.

References

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham Local Nature Reserves in County Durham Quarries in County Durham Wheatley Hill {{Durham-geo-stub