quarry locations

QUARRY LOCATIONS

A-LANSDOWN. B-CHARMYDOWN. C BANNERDOWN & COLERNE.

F-KINGSDOWN & FARLEIGH. G-WINSLEY & BRADFORD ON AVON.

H-BRADFORD & WESTWOOD. I-LIMPLEY STOKE.

J-BATHAMPTON DOWN. K-CLAVERTON DOWN TO ODD DOWN.

The above map shows the area from which Bath Stone comes from, this area is approx. 10 miles across. Bath Stone is only found in this area, Cotswold Stone begins to the north and to the south there is Chilmark in Wiltshire and Doulting in Somerset. The hills that the quarries lie in are shown in orange/brown and lower ground and valleys in green. The hills around Bath all have evidence of quarrying and most have underground workings.

Below is a list of some of the quarries within the above area. The names used are the ones that the quarry is known by today, the name in ( ) is one that the quarry was once called, (( )) contains the names of the company working that quarry around 1900, the number also contained in these brackets is the number of people working underground in 1894 for that company. As different people owned the lands above a quarry more than one company may be working the stone below, if the quarries broke into each other at a later date then the list will tell you which joined together to form the extensive workings found today.

A..LANSDOWN.

Open quarries are found on the southern edge and these could date back to Roman times, one was in use around 1800, rumour tells of an underground working near the M.o.D. site. Beckford also used a quarry to build a grotto in between his house and his tower.

B..CHARMYDOWN.

Open quarries can be found all around the edge of the hill, underground workings are rumoured but none are known.

C..BANNERDOWN and COLERNE.

At Bannerdown there are large old open workings and a trial heading can be seen.
On the south edge there is a working but the entrance is well blocked.
The Rocks, A small working consisting of one passage about 200 metres in length, this is an unusual quarry as the passage suddenly slopes up to another level. Stone most likely used to build the house nearby. Also there is a small passage under the house but is blocked by a fall.
Doncombe/Lucknam Quarry, 3 small workings with a very dangerous roof.

Other open workings exist and again rumour has it that there is an underground working on the airfield although no sign of it has come to light.

D..CORSHAM AND AREA.

Corsham was the major quarrying area for over 100 years and evidence of workings can be found all around the area.

Along the By Valley there are lots of small workings, mainly rubble stone.
At Biddestone there are a couple of slope shafts now blocked.
At least 7 open workings can be found, mostly for rubble stone.

NEAR THE A4.

Brewers yard, only major quarry on two levels. ((Mr. Brewer, who had done work on Box Tunnel))

Most of the quarries below were connected to Corsham Station by Tramway.

Copenacre, (joins to Pickwick Quarry), used as a Naval stores depot, now closed and sealed.
Hartham, (joins above and below), (( ((Marsh Son and Gibbs)) Yockney and Hartham Park Stone Co. Ltd.))
Pickwick, (Taveller's Rest, Hartham), was the Bath Stone Quarry Museum, now reopened for stone production.

The above Quarries in 1895 were called Hartham No.1 (( Marsh Son and Gibbs {7} )), Hartham No2. (( Marsh Son and Gibbs {41} )).

AROUND HAWTHORN.

Tunnel Quarry, (Corsham Down, (( Yockney and Co. {86} )) ), taken over for ammunition storage as part of C.A.D. Corsham, now disused, unique quarry as it contains an underground main line railway connection with two full length platforms and a siding.
Seven Shaft, (( Randell and Saunders)), joins above.
Corsham No. 6., (( ((Pictor and Sons Ltd. {96})), ((Stone Bros. Ltd. {7})), Bath Stone Firms Ltd)), joins above.
Hudswell, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. )), joins above.
Spring, ( W.S. Pictor) one of the largest single quarries, used as a factory during the war and later divided in half, one side was used as a naval stores depot now closed, the other half was used for different purposes, Spring use to connect with Tunnel Quarry. Quarrying ceased in 1939 when the quarrymen downed tools and left. (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {12} )).
Groundstone / Brewers, small quarry between Tunnel and Cliff / Clift, joins Tunnel and Box.
Brown's, connected to Tunnel, small quarry used during the war now under Ministry control.
Sands, connected to Spring, still contains lots of blocks of stone. (( (( Lucas and Allard {21} )) Corsham Quarrying Co.))
Moorpark, now sealed, one of the few quarries producing stone after the war. ((Sheppards))
Westwells, name used for Moor Park and eastern end of Spring.
Waterhole, refers to eastern end of Spring that tended to flood, a culvert to remove water was built from Spring into Box Tunnel and then to the brook at Box .

NESTON.

Clubhouse, small quarry used during the war to store foreign bank notes.
Hollybush, old small workings.
Wansdyke, (Brockleaze, Goblin's Pit) used as a secure storage facility.
Park Lane, tended to flood, flood marks can be seen at ceiling height, (( (( Randell and Saunders {56} )) Bath Stone Firms Ltd. )).
Between Wadswick and Atworth there use to be some very large open workings but have now all been filled in probably rubble stone.

THE RIDGE AND GASTARD.

Ridge, (Old Ridge, New Ridge, Monk's West), (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. )) (( (( Lucas and Allard {23} )) Corsham Quarrying Co. )), used during the war for ammunition storage.
Eastley's, (Pictor's Monks, Eastern Monks Park), used as ammunition storage during the war, part of C.A.D. Corsham, now a storage facility.
Monks Park (Sumsion's Monks), part was used as a naval storage depot until 1996. now a commercial storage facility.
Monks Park, (Sumsion's Monks), joins above, still quarrying stone, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {101} )).
Elm Park, small working, possibly opening up for quarrying, used during the war by the R.A.F., (( Sheppards )).
Good's/ Goode's Hill, very small working, floods.

E..BOX HILL.

All around the Box Hill there are quarries of great age, most at some time connected underground. Box Stone has been quarried for 2000 years and according to the history books most houses before 1700 were built from stone that came from Hazlebury Quarry, this is probably a general term for the workings found around the hill. On his travels Aubrey (1626- 97) noticed lots of large blocks of stone from the quarries in the area when passing through Corsham. WARNING. Box is accessible but needs great care, the roof is unstable in some places and the workings are on a very large scale and to the inexperienced very confusing, dont take a chance, the last people who did had to sit in total darkness for 36 hours until they were missed, all they entered with was a box of matches and were found only 400 metres from an entrance.

Cliff or Clift, closed in 1968, contains cranes and other equipment, dangerous roof in places. Connected to Box by tramway that ran alongside of the A4 to Box, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {43} )).
Box No.6., (( (( Stone Bros. Ltd. {8})) Bath Stone Firms Ltd. )), joins above.
Cathedral Quarry, unusual quarry that was worked by hand from a vertical shaft as the surrounding quarry owners would not allow access to the stone via their workings. Most of the stone beneath the shaft and area was removed leaving a chamber approx. 40 feet wide, 200 feet long and 80-90 feet high, joins above.
Front Hill Series, various entrances connect to these workings, very large and unstable in places. The houses on the hill are nearly all quarrymen's cottages, also try the Quarryman's the local pub as it contains a selection of the tools that were used, joins above.
Tyning, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {4} )), joins above.
Brown's No4. or No.4 Box. (( (( Pictor and Sons)) (( Randell and Saunders)) (( S.R. Stone )) (( Marsh and Co.)) {6} Bath Stone Firms Ltd.)), joins above.
Lower Hill, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {17} )), joins above.
Hazelbury, open working, was used to remove the pillars from the quarry underneath.
Strong's Quarry, entrance now totally filled in, joins above.
Noble's Quarry, entrance filled in the sixties, joins above.

F..KINGSDOWN and FARLEIGH.

Longsplatt quarry, sealed.
A traveller from London mentions quarrying at Longsplatt, Kingsdown and Farleigh in 1793.
Kingsdown Quarry, known as Swan Mine, contains artefacts, these should be left in situ and the crane not touched. Also around this entrance there are a few workings that can be seen, most are small and in places dangerous, Try the Swan Inn for good beer and food and some of my collection of tools, this inn used to be the quarry owners house. (( G Butt {5})) (( Marsh Son and Gibbs {3})) (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd {4}))
Norbin Barton, (Wraxall) once had a very wide vertical shaft now filled in, (Sheppards), tended to flood.
The Golf Course at Kingsdown shows evidence of extensive open workings although now greatly filled in.
Other open workings and some small underground workings are to be found around the Kingsdown area.
Between Kingsdown and Farleigh there is an open working that is said to be at least Saxon in age, also there are some very small and unusual workings just feet under the edge of the hill. Two inclines can be traced, one joining the railway at Ashley and the other to the old stone wharf at Bathford.
Farleigh Down Quarry. A priory was built here in the thirteenth century from Farleigh stone, Elias De Turri, Prior in 1206. The first mention of quarries is in 1439.
Today it is one of the largest quarries, made up from independent quarries that joined together.

In 1752 James Woodward, William Battersby and Samuel Isaac had rights to quarry stone at a yearly rent of £2 5s. John Dyer, William Weston, and James Hiscox also had quarries in the eighteenth century. Samuel Watson, John Watson, James Carter, George Yeeles and John Wiltshire Snr. and Jnr. had rights in 1829. Henry Spackman,George Fluester (1839), Rogers and Rawlings, Pictor and Sons, Randell and Saunders, S.R. Noble and H. Stone and Sons had quarries in the nineteenth century. A slope shaft was sunk in 1828, has a date of 1839 on sawn face. In 1881, 20 quarrymen lived in Monkton Farleigh and 10 quarries were being worked, quarrymen in 1882 earned about 15 shillings a week. Part of the workings were taken over during the Second World War to become the largest ammunition storage depot possibly in the world, was run by us as a museum between 84-90, now run as a secure storage facility, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd {89})).

Longs Quarry, (( William Long )), joins above. Reputed that stone from here was used in the original facade of Buckingham Palace.
Drum Quarry, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {29})), joins above.
Sheep Drove Quarry, a vertical shaft quarry that became part of the above.
Dapstone Quarry, sealed. (South Farleigh Quarry), (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. {15})).
Numerous faces and underground workings are to be found all along the hill edge to the A363. One place of note is Sally's Rift, a natural Gull cave over 345 metres in length, other smaller rift caves can also be found. Near this location four coins have been found from around 270 AD. also the remains of a Roman villa were found in the seventeenth century.
Conkwell Quarries, one underground working and open workings. 1830 James Byfield, a stone merchant from Bath gained rights to the stone at Conkwell for 7 years at £20 per annum. Linked by incline to the canal. In 1868 coins from AD. 142-52 were found at the base of an outcrop at Conkwell.

G..WINSLEY and BRADFORD on AVON.

Open quarries at Murhill and two small underground workings, linked to canal by incline.
There are other workings between Murhill and Bradford, such as at Wine Street, Tory, Budbury and Mason's Lane, most are small and others are known but entrances are all sealed.
Bradford on Avon, there are underground workings at the top of Bradford but most are small such as at Woolley Street, White Hill and Hall's Quarry.
Kingsfield, large for Bradford, goes round in a loop.
Poulton, a smallish quarry with beds running at nearly 45 degrees, also used as an air raid shelter during the war, (( J Taylor {2})) (( J Jones)).
At least two other quarries are known between the river and canal but entrances are sealed.

H..BRADFORD and WESTWOOD.

Woodside, disused open workings off Jone's Hill.
Grip Hill / Jones Hill Quarry, small working south of the river, (( L Jones ))
Bethel, used during the war as a naval store, now used as a mushroom farm.
Along the hill edge small workings used for lime can still be found, these are only a couple of feet below ground.
Westwood Quarry West, used by the British Museum during the war and also by Royal Enfield until the late sixties as a factory, now used as a secure storage and for quarrying, linked to the railway and canal by incline, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd. ))
Westwood Quarry East, (( W Goodwin {13})), joins above.
Other small workings are known between Westwood and Freshford.

I..LIMPLEY STOKE.

Hayes Wood Quarry or Limpley Stoke Mine, quarried by the Bath Stone Co.
Stoke Hill Quarry, joins with the above, (( Bath Stone Firms Ltd.)) (( J W Soanne and Co. {13})).
Other underground workings are known, nearly all sealed.
Along the hill edge above Limpley Stoke there are open workings.

J..BATHAMPTON DOWN.

Large open workings can be found around the edge of the golf course.
Devil's Cave, a small working under the golf course.
Singleway Quarry, about 300 metres long running under the golf course.
Seven Sister's Quarry, entrances blown up in the sixties, can be found in the largest open workings, reputed to be quite large, linked to the canal by incline.
Other small workings can be found but none go very far.
During the building of the reservoir some workings were broken into, no record or evidence exists.
Opencast workings can be found at the top of Widcombe Hill, now built in. evidence of an early tramway can be found down the hill towards Widcombe.

K..CLAVERTON DOWN TO ODD DOWN.

This hill has evidence of quarrying everywhere, major quarrying has been going on at least since the sixteenth century and the village of Combe Down was built mainly for the quarrymen.

CLAVERTON DOWN.

Rumour has it that there is a underground working at the top of Brassknocker Hill.
Other open workings around the area.

COMBE DOWN.

Quarrying on Combe Down has taken place since the Roman era. John Leland travelling to Bath in 1540 noted quarries south of the city of Bath, and a larger quarry on his second visit a while later. Oluf Borch in 1663 mentions underground workings near Bath, both most likely at Combe Down. Lots of the open workings have now been filled and built over. Most of the quarries seem to have various names, the most popular are given below.

St. Winifreds, large open workings with small underground section.
Shaft Road, quite large quarry, towards the hill edge passages run very shallow only feet below the surface.
Mnt. Pleasant, 2 quarries open and Underground, small.
Hancock's/ Upper Lawn, open workings still used.
Rainbow Woods and Quarry Tea Gardens, remains of open workings.
Prior Park Quarry, now filled used to connect underground.
Firs, largish workings quite shallow, in the news at the moment, might be filled or saved.
Byfield and Cox's, open and underground, connects to Firs, contains earliest known date on sawn face of 1821.
Jackdaw, blocked.
William Smith Quarry, small underground workings next to open quarry.
Cox's vertical shaft quarry, small workings , sealed.
Combe Down has lots of small quarries, this is a list of some although most have now been filled.
Davidge's Bottom.
Hill's Quarry.
Wilk's Quarry.
Stennard's Quarry.
Church Quarry.
Love's Quarry.
Plantation Quarry.
Cruikshank's Quarry.
Beechwood Quarry.
De Montalt Quarry.
Allotments Quarry.
Turnpike Quarry.
Stonehouse Quarry (2).
Stone's Quarry.
Vinegar Down Quarry.

ENTRY HILL AND ODD DOWN.

Entry Hill and Springfield, open workings with quite large areas underground.
Crossway Quarry.
Other open workings exist between Entry Hill and South Stoke.
Beehive Quarry (( Shellard and Son )).
Union Quarry.
Horsecombe Quarry.
Hallet's Quarry.
Love's Quarry.
Other workings exist and evidence of underground workings is known, all entrances are blocked.
THIS LIST ONLY CONTAINS THE BETTER KNOWN NAMES OF QUARRIES MOST ARE TAKEN FROM A STONE QUARRY MAP OF 1890 AND OTHER QUARRY RELATED DOCUMENTS FROM THIS TIME. SOME MAY BE KNOWN WITH DIFFERENT NAMES SO IF I AM WRONG THEN SORRY PLEASE LET ME KNOW.