The History of Quarrying Continued

Over the years since its earliest beginnings as Britain's oldest industry, the quarrying industry has seen an enormous amount of change in the quarrying techniques, the quarry equipment used and the uses of the quarried stone.

The History of Quarrying
With the importance of Britain as a naval power growing during the 16th Century, the wooden harbours around the shores of Britain were replaced with stone harbours and these harbours were made from Britain’s quarried stone. As the Industrial Revolution created an increased demand for better transportation around the UK, the quarries were once again in use for producing the materials needed for the canals, railways and turnpikes.

Over the years a great demand has been put on Britain’s quarries every time Britain has gone to war. This demand was significantly increased following the end of the second world war in 1945 when large areas of cities and towns needed considerable re-building. The 1960’s brought about the era of extensive motorway building which demanded large amount of aggregates in the form of crushed stone. Quarries played an important part in aiding the building of all these structures and without them these significant building eras would not have taken place.

The Demise of Smaller Quarries
The number of quarries began to decline during the 1970’s and 1980’s as smaller quarries began to be replaced by larger quarries. Many of these smaller abandoned quarries quickly began to blend back into the background and have become nature havens as the stone which had been cut is now covered in lichens and trees have sprung up on the quarry floor.

The history of the quarry is still evolving and quarries in the modern day setting are just as important to our way of life as ever before.
If you would like to benefit from the wide range of quarry equipment offered by N.H. Greaves & Co Ltd then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us on 01709 582 381

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