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.
In 1730 Allen began to develop new quarries at Bathampton Down and made roads and tramways to transport the stone. After this, not much was recorded until 1808 when the Hampton Down Quarry reopened, presumably to provide stone to relay the Kennet and Avon Canal as the initial stone here (from Bradford on Avon, Winsley, Westwood etc) was
wrongly selected and laid. An incline was made, covering the 800yards from Bathampton Quarries to the canal, sometime within the next two years, as in 1810 the canal was completed.
Allen made the great quarry at Hampton Down an open working. Access was from the A36 Warminster Road just beyond Bathampton, up the hillside by public footpath, for part of the way following the old tramway. The tramroad built in about 1802 had a 1 in 5 gradient and the alignment is still visible. It reached the canal near Kolecombe Farm and crossed the Bath – Warminster road by a dry arch bridge. Unfortunately this bridge was removed in the 1960’s due to road widening.
The Hampton Down Quarries were worked for a short time in 1810 by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company for constructing locks etc, but it was found all the best stone had been exhausted, only the inferior kind being left. The stone was soon worked out from here and the mine roofs became very dangerous,in fact the quarry and railroad were disused by 1847 if not earlier. In 1962, the Territorial Army sealed off all the old mine entrances by blasting them. Today, little remains visible. A few mines remain today on Hampton Down. Single Way Mine is fairly straightforward, 1300ft long. There are signs of cart / rail tracks and crane holes in the roof. Collapse Mine is very short and is probably part of the now closed Seven Sisters Mine. Devils Cave is about 1000ft long and more complex than Single Way. The passages are generally bigger with some pillars left. Part of it may have been a separate mine as there is a second entrance, now choked.
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.
It is not known whether Allen actually quarried here, although the Hancock family quarried Claverton Down Quarries until the 1950’s The small quarry adjacent to Claverton Down Road was owned by the Bool family in the 1880’s and 1890’s. There are several small quarries in the-area, on the western edge of Hampton Down
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.