Ridge Quarry

Undoubtedly, the site named as locality no. 3 is the richest of all the Villany faunas. Kormos called this locality Villany-Kalkberg-Nord (Picture 6). The site is situated on the northern wall of the eastern end of the ridge quarry. A cleft, on the average 1 m wide and lying in a direction east to west, cuts through the Lower Malm Oxfordian limestone, and is filled with red sediment cemented by secondary calcite formation. 

As an interim measure the War Office was approached with the request that some of the quarry space under development at Corsham should be temporarily allocated to the RAF until the new Army weapons programme got properly under way. The outcome was that in November, 1936, the RAF was granted the exclusive use of Ridge Quarry, which was then approaching completion. Some time later a substantial part of Eastlays Quarry was also seconded to the RAF to supplement the Ridge holding. 

Between 30 March and 16 May a total of 15,676 tons of bombs and other ammunition was evacuated from Harpur Hill as a precautionary measure of these just 650 tons was transferred to Ridge Quarry. 

Replies were received from the Commands well before the deadline of 31 March, 1930. Virtually all the locations were found to be gravely deficient regarding either size, safety, means of access, or proximity to nearest services. Southern Command submitted a list of eight sites Tilly Whim, Acton and Herston caves in Dorset Beer Quarry in Devon Ridge Quarry in Corsham Wren s Nest at Dudley in Staffordshire and Hasley and Avening Quarries near Nailsworth. 

By 23 May, 1930, the reports of all Area Commands had been scrutinized and a short list of five possible sites drawn up Chislehurst Caves Slate Mines in the vicinity of Blaenau Scout Quarry in Rossendale Meadowbank salt mine in Cheshire, and Ridge Quarry near Corsham. After careful consideration Ridge Quarry was chosen specifically for further investigation. 

Doubt was expressed as to whether the new works could be contained within the million budget, and the estimate was carefully examined to see whether it was possible to reduce some of the items to meet the new requirements. Further work on Ridge Quarry was abandoned, as was the west end of Tunnel Quarry where conditions were particularly bad. Ridge was commissioned as a temporary store and the abandoned area at Tunnel, which was to have been No.l District, was later utilized as a secure defence communications switching centre known as South West Control . Full air-conditioning was to be installed only in Districts 21 and 22 at Eastlays, which were required for cordite storage. 

Ridge Quarry posed few problems, as virtually all the clearing work had been done by the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War. The gross area of the usable part amounted to nine and a half acres, of which three and a half acres consisted of suppon pillars, leaving six acres for storage. 

In June Ridge Quarry reported a vacant capacity of 15,000 tons, but 42 Group had reservations about using the Corsham depots due to the fact that they were only really suitable for bombs of 500 lb or less and that the inclined shafts limited turnover to a maximum of 400 tons per day. The limited potential of Ridge Quarry for storage over extended peacetime periods, deficient as it was in ventilation or air-conditioning equipment, had been questioned a year earlier following an inspection... 

The Army presence remained at Ridge until 1964 after which the site reverted to care and maintenance under the Ministry of Works and Buildings. This state of limbo continued for ten years until 1975 when Ridge Quarry was re-purchased by the Neston Estate which exercised its right of pre-emption. All the surface buildings were demolished except for the No.2 shaft transit shed, which has found a new agricultural use. Debris from surface demolition was bulldozed into the lift shaft and No. 1 slope shaft which are now both completely blocked, although No.2 shaft is still accessible. 

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