Clift quarry worked initially by Pictor and Sons who were quarrying the adjacent Tyning Quarry to the south, connected to Box railway station by tramway that ran alongside of the A4, latterly owned by Bath Stone Firms Ltd and the only quarry where a steam engine was used underground to haul the stone. closed in 1968 and still contains cranes and other equipment. ‘Hardiaxe’ compressed air drills were used here from 1955 to break the stone from the beds – evidence can be seen by the multiple drill holes in the working faces and where ‘plugs and feathers’ were forced in to break the stone from the beds. Box Ground stone is found in this quarry and is very durable and sought after.
Above is a photo taken in Clift Quarry showing the compressed air drills, picks and saws being used together.
The entrance to this quarry is by a level adit and the tramway was naturally downhill all the way to the railway station in the valley below. Consequently a lot of other connecting quarries in the Box area shared this egress route for the stone blocks. Tyning Quarry and Stones No.4 Quarry shared the access here, possibly Groundstone Quarry and others.
