I never took stone from the quarries but used to deliver tar to the mixing plants from 1965 to 1976. The ones open at that time were Underwood near Wells,Dulcote,Shipham,Batscombe,Sandford,Westbury,Asham,Bradgate,Merehead,Vobster,ECC at Holwell,Whatley,Hobbs at Fairy Caves,Amey at Holcombe,Hobbs at Flax Bourton,Gurney Slade,Black Rock at Portishead,Dial on the A38 near Bristol Airport and to the north,Chipping Sodbury.Wootons at Wick,Tytherington,Cromhall and Wickwar.
Underwood and one other I think were owned by Somerset Count Council. Several were owned by Roads Reconstruction who ran green trucks with RR in a circle on the door.
Merehead ,Whatley and Tytherington also had rail loading. Had some free time at Whatley one day and I went down to the main line and back in the engine.
Anyone remember when a train ran away back into the quarry at Merehead at piled up against the crusher.
Muckaway:
Since quarry companies have been mentioned in other threads, what pits can you remember working out of?
Old firms like Cullimores, Hoveringhams, RMC Aggregates, Amey/ARC/Hanson, Smith and Sons, Multi-Agg, Tuckwells, J Curtis, Constants, Grundon, Steetleys,Elliotts,Kingston Minerals etc…
Been to most of them… Any one know if Curtis Quarry at Charlbury is still open, also we did a lot of Lime out of the Quarry at Guiting Power is that still open ?
We used to do a lot out of Sodbury,Tytherington,Cromall, to Sutton Courtney for Mr Workman.
I can remember going with my dad, early '50s, in an O series Bedford tipper, to a stone quarry in Enstone, then running to Upper Heyford or Brize Norton when they were extending the runways etc. Does anyone remember it or is it one you have mentioned already. Don’t know who it would have belonged to then.
altitude:
Great to see all those old names comeing up again done um all, one not there Sands and Gravels Standlake don’t know if that’s the Cotswolds
Hi John,
Both my dad and uncle worked for them after the Pathfields days.
Martin.
Hello mate
How’s it going? Yeah I seem to remember your dad saying he was on for them for a while. Hope he’s OK say hello to him from me when you see him.
cheers
John.
hi PB (paul)…glad to hear Basil is ok,it was bas who gave me my"interview"!, i think the idea of taking the motor home was to give you a good chance of getting to the Quarry for your early time slot,otherwise it messed up all the times and mixes.the quarry were not impressed if you overslept and missed your "mix"and i guess would be on the blower to bas!
My son lives in Yate, and is on the spanners for Fews at Charfield.and i was hatched in the little hosp in Sodbury,so get up your way often,purely for pleasure,retired now…chris
BigG-Unit:
I can remember going with my dad, early '50s, in an O series Bedford tipper, to a stone quarry in Enstone, then running to Upper Heyford or Brize Norton when they were extending the runways etc. Does anyone remember it or is it one you have mentioned already. Don’t know who it would have belonged to then.
Was it near the Banbury Road crossroads? If so it was recently filled up with rehandled waste by Aasvogel. Used to be run by a firm called Selectface. Some of Smiths drivers tipped low contaminated soil there from Oxford Science Park (near the where the Oil Terminal was) a few years back. From what I remember they said it was a rough place-ancient dumptruck, compactor and drott etc. I’m not sure if there were planning problems with the site but it doesn’t look like it’s been capped and sealed,just left.
Numbum:
I never took stone from the quarries but used to deliver tar to the mixing plants from 1965 to 1976. The ones open at that time were Underwood near Wells,Dulcote,Shipham,Batscombe,Sandford,Westbury,Asham,Bradgate,Merehead,Vobster,ECC at Holwell,Whatley,Hobbs at Fairy Caves,Amey at Holcombe,Hobbs at Flax Bourton,Gurney Slade,Black Rock at Portishead,Dial on the A38 near Bristol Airport and to the north,Chipping Sodbury.Wootons at Wick,Tytherington,Cromhall and Wickwar.
Underwood and one other I think were owned by Somerset Count Council. Several were owned by Roads Reconstruction who ran green trucks with RR in a circle on the door.
Merehead ,Whatley and Tytherington also had rail loading. Had some free time at Whatley one day and I went down to the main line and back in the engine.
Anyone remember when a train ran away back into the quarry at Merehead at piled up against the crusher.
Phil.
Cemex Aggregates only closed Cromhall last year. I used to go there for 20mm quartz gravel-popular with landscape gardeners. There was no working weighbridge at the end, you had to book in at Wickwar, load at Cromhall then weigh again at Wickwar. Lucky I had an on-board weigher, cut out lots of travelling! Tarmac plant has been knocked down at Wick now, stone underneath being dug now. Wickwar struggles a lot with production now, I’ve been there for Type 1 and had to bring back 20-5mm chips instead!
Muckaway:
Since quarry companies have been mentioned in other threads, what pits can you remember working out of?
Old firms like Cullimores, Hoveringhams, RMC Aggregates, Amey/ARC/Hanson, Smith and Sons, Multi-Agg, Tuckwells, J Curtis, Constants, Grundon, Steetleys,Elliotts,Kingston Minerals etc…
Been to most of them… Any one know if Curtis Quarry at Charlbury is still open, also we did a lot of Lime out of the Quarry at Guiting Power is that still open ?
We used to do a lot out of Sodbury,Tytherington,Cromall, to Sutton Courtney for Mr Workman.
Curtis stone pit at Charlbury (Ditchley Road) closed about 20 years ago. A Fireman got killed there near the end of the pits life-there’d been a workshop fire and after it was out he was carrying a gas cylinder out when it blew up. One of Smiths machine drivers worked for Curtis-during snowy weather the council would hire their shovels for ploughing work.N.I.M.B.Yism killed that pit I think…
Who owned Guiting Pit? Hansons have one between there and Ford (mothballed at the moment) Huntsmans between there and Naunton and there’s one re-opened for masonry stone; Johnsons who own Great Tew Estate operate it along with their Blue Vein Pit at Great Tew.
Guiting Pit was ARC when we were in there it’s the one at the top of Stanway Hill I think,They did cut stone as well. We used to run out of Huntsmans a bit to bloke called Joe in the weighbridge if I remember correct.
Not supriesed Charlbury closed it was a bit close to the Houses.
Smith and Sons first “Next Generation” Alpha RJ02 JWN. Driven by Roger Bowers (Dad!) from new and seen virtually all the time running between Gill Mill Quarry and Smiths Concretes’ Bicester plant, (The former Blackthorn Station). When Dad fancies a ride out it can be seen running out of Wickwar on Type 1.
Don’t know what’s up I can’t get pic to show same size as one I’ve put on Scrapbook thread. I deleted it off Photobucket and re uploaded and tried tgain and it came up same size Any suggestions welcome!
GOT IT SORTED, I THINK!
truckeygar:
I know quarry / muckaway work isnt everyones cup of tea but there were and still are some good lads on the cotswold quarry scene,
What you doing now? I’ve seen one of Dans trucks about now in Hazel and Jefferies colours-one of the Hinos, not sure if it your old one?
Alright muckaway i am on for dairy crest in stonehouse now, great job but no laugh unlike the tippers , what was you driving on the clay job that i was on just so i can put a face to the name MUCKAWAY i speak to allan couple times a month , havnt seen or spoke to Dan for over a year .
truckeygar:
I know quarry / muckaway work isnt everyones cup of tea but there were and still are some good lads on the cotswold quarry scene,
What you doing now? I’ve seen one of Dans trucks about now in Hazel and Jefferies colours-one of the Hinos, not sure if it your old one?
Alright muckaway i am on for dairy crest in stonehouse now, great job but no laugh unlike the tippers , what was you driving on the clay job that i was on just so i can put a face to the name MUCKAWAY i speak to allan couple times a month , havnt seen or spoke to Dan for over a year .
Here’s my truck Gary, I took this as the digger loading (Poclain 60) is becoming very rare
truckeygar:
I know quarry / muckaway work isnt everyones cup of tea but there were and still are some good lads on the cotswold quarry scene,
What you doing now? I’ve seen one of Dans trucks about now in Hazel and Jefferies colours-one of the Hinos, not sure if it your old one?
Alright muckaway i am on for dairy crest in stonehouse now, great job but no laugh unlike the tippers , what was you driving on the clay job that i was on just so i can put a face to the name MUCKAWAY i speak to allan couple times a month , havnt seen or spoke to Dan for over a year .
Here’s my truck Gary, I took this as the digger loading (Poclain 60) is becoming very rare
So will the Foden in a few years. Nice pic.
Cheers Dave.
truckeygar:
I have worked out of most of them some good some bad , done many weeks out off smiths quarry in witney ,blue clay to various sites around the country, that stuff stuck well . worked out off daglingworth a lot, grundons at farringdon, huntsmans , hills, wick, wickwar, miss the tipper work, i was working for Baxters from Cheltenham
Here’s a pic of the clay job (Building new landfill cell at Viridor, Ardley)
Any suggestions welcome!
. worked out off daglingworth a lot, grundons at farringdon, huntsmans , hills, wick, wickwar, miss the tipper work, i was working for Baxters from Cheltenham