Westdown Quarry, Somerset, July 2010

[tarmac]

Westdown Quarry, Mendips.....originally operated by Redland Aggregates from 1973, then operated as a joint unit with neighbours Asham Wood Quarry (Hoveringham Gravels), JV company called RH Roadstone, and later run by Tarmac until 1985, when due to a turndown in the aggregates market (and lack of rail access), quarry was closed, and the land taken over by ARC Southern , later Hanson....one day to be worked again, when Hanson's neighbouring Whatey Quarry is exhausted.....this place is quite amazing. especially the large structures that still remain, but is all hidden from sight, and has been used for Dr Who filming in the past.....(this is my first post, hope it turns out OK....and Old Quarries are a passion!)

This was the covered stone store, or the "toastrack", there is still stone on the ledges, 25 years after closing....

 

[tarmac]

Some more pictures,,,,,,,

General view of the toastrack, aggregates would br conveyored from the screenhouse to each comaprtment, a different size in each one....

Left over cone crushers, returning to nature some 25 years after last use....

 

[night crawler]

Love the toastracks especally the shot in the first photo.

 

[tarmac]

More pix....

Site of the Primary Crushing Hopper, dumpers would back up to here, to tip their load from the quarry face....

Site of the secondary crushers and screen house, a view from Google Earth gives a better idea....

 

[tarmac]

And more.....

Viewed from the otherside....

General view of the quarry floor.....

Current owners trying to keep the scramblers out, and it works well, the area is well preserved, and neighbouring Asham Wood Quarry is a SSI, and will be never quarried again....

General view of the old quarry entrance, this was modified about 10 years ago, when the Bulls Green Link Road was added, to enable easier access to the near by Tarmac Halecome Quarry...

General view of the Bulls Green Link Road, access used to be via a very narrow road, close to a place known locally as Dead Womans Bottom......

 

[Foxylady]

Fantastic site. Love the toastrack...never seen anything like that before. It looks like a great place for a leisurely meander.
I'm crazy about quarries too. Cracking first location post, tarmac.

 

[borntobemild]

I love old quarries as well. Very unusual place - never seen anything like those old hoppers before. I'm not surprised they used it as a set from Dr Who.

 

[tommo]

nice little concrete jungle to play in i see, u got to love hanson

 

[tarmac]

Now and Then....

Thanx everone for the kind words, I first snooped around this quarry some 20years ago, check these two photo's out, first one 1990, five years after the quarry closed, and then same location in 2010......

1990.....in the distance are the mixer barrells off six Redland Concrete lorries, Note the crusher mantles in the foreground also......

2010....same location (on the link road to Asham Wood Quarry), all the mixer barrells have gone (they are still there if you look on Google Earth !), as have a number of the screen units, and some of the crusher bits......