The Ridge Quarry also known as New Ridge adjoins Western Monks Park to the north, this quarry has two slope shafts and several vertical shafts. This was worked by the Bath Stone Firms Ltd. and totals 203,000 sq. ft.
This quarry was unusually requisitioned for TNT and cordite storage in the first world war during 1915.
When the War Department cleared out New Ridge they moved the loose debris into Ridge Park Quarry to the west, they then separated one from the other with a wall. The 2ft tramway was later used for the movement of explosives which was stacked off the floor on wooden racks.
The Ministry of Munitions vacated the quarry in 1922 when it was abandonned. It was again used in 1936 for various munitions storage by the RAF throughout WW2 with the second slope shaft opened and a lift installed in a vertical shaft. More stone was removed to increase the storage area and winches were installed to assist with moving the rail trolleys up the gradient found in the quarry. Ridge Quarry was finally abandonned in 1955 when it was clear that large quantities of conventional munitions would no longer be required. The site was retained under care and maintenance with the land and quarry eventually re-purchased by the Neston Estate in 1975. After this time most of the surface buildings were demolished and bulldozed into the original slope shaft and vertical shaft.
Underground, the mine is crossed by a major scissor fault, with the result that one half of the workings is about 20 feet lower than the other connected by two sloping ramps, this quarry also connects to Monks Park Quarry underground probably by accident rather than design.
There is a lot of interesting military graffiti on the walls here along with the remains of the 2ft tramway used to move the munitions around
