Hingston Down is a granite quarry situated within the Tamar Valley in Gunnislake, Cornwall, which produces abrasive and hard micro granite and contributes more than £2 million a year to the local economy.
A team of 17 people are employed at the site, which includes the quarry, asphalt plant and concrete plant, while a further 60+ maintenance engineers and HGV drivers depend on it for their livelihood.
Hingston Down supplies high quality construction materials to the Devon and Cornwall markets for use in large construction projects, housing development sites and road surfacing works as well as for local DIY projects. The site also produces specialist materials such as rock armour and gabion stone which is used for river embankments and sea defence systems across the Devon and Cornwall regions.
Contact us
For all enquiries please email: hingstondownquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com
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History
History
The Tamar Valley landscape has been shaped by its rich industrial heritage, with quarrying in the region dating back to the 1800’s. The quarry at Hingston Down was worked from 1924 by the Hingston Down Quarry Co Ltd, which was later taken over by Amalgamated Roadstone Limited and is now owned by Heidelberg Materials UK. It was previously connected to the East Cornwall Mineral Railway and, on average, 20 15-tonne wagons would be despatched every day.
The Gunnislake region is rich in mineral reserves, the 1880 Ordnance Survey map shows that nine quarries were once located within half a mile of Gunnislake, but today Hingston Down quarry is the only one that remains operational.
Today
Part of the site is designated as ‘Hingston Down Quarry and Consols SSSI’ for its geological interest, due to mineral exposures of granite and associated mineralized zones.
As part of our ongoing Space for Nature plan, a portion of land is dedicated to biodiversity enhancements, either throughout retained land, restored land or temporary habitats such as water lagoons. These plans are in line with Heidelberg Materials UK's sustainability targets, including that every operational, extractive site has at least 15% of its surface area dedicated to nature by 2030.
Our focus at Hingston Down is on preserving and improving existing grassland and heathland habitat fragments created as a result of soil stripping operations around the quarry boundary and through historic mine workings. We have also been working to improve habitat quality and connectivity by maintaining heathland fragments by clearing encroaching scrub and removing invasive species. More information is available in our 2024 Biodiversity Action Plan.
In 2024 Cornwall Council confirmed that our plans to relocate the onsite wash plant come under permitted development. Work is expected to be completed in 2025, with no external changes to the appearance of the quarry.
The Battle of Hingston Down
In the 9th century, the last recorded battle between the Cornish and the West Saxons took place at Hingston Down and resulted in a West Saxon victory. Historians believe that the north-east of Callington, close to the quarry may have been the site of the battle.
Operations and blasting
Blasting can take place between 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday.
We plan operations so that, wherever feasible, blasting takes place between 12.00-14.00.
Please note our blast times are approximate and, as such, are subject to change due to weather or operational safety requirements.
Blasting notifications
To sign up to receive our free blasting notifications, please email us at: hingstondownquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com and advise which method you would prefer to receive the notification; text (provide a mobile number) and/or email.
Please see our privacy policy for details on how we manage personal data.
Calstock in Bloom
We were delighted to support the Calstock in Bloom team in the Tamar Valley, Cornwall with the donation of the raw materials needed to build a Mediterranean-style community garden in readiness for the Britain in Bloom competition.
Quarry Life Award
Our Hingston Down quarry is opening its doors to participants in the sixth round of the Quarry Life Award, our biodiversity research competition. Participants from more than 15 countries worldwide can pitch their project ideas for sustainable quarry management and compete for prizes totalling around €300,000 (approx. £250,000).
Liaison group
We are keen to broaden the local membership of our liaison group, which meets to discuss our operations and future thinking. If you represent a local group and would like it to be considered for membership, please email us at: hingstondownquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com
Minutes from previous meetings can be viewed below.
Careers and apprenticeships
Working at Heidelberg Materials is about being part of One Team. We operate more than 300 manufacturing sites in the UK and employ over 4,000 people, offering a variety of careers and development opportunities.
We also provide various apprenticeships, giving you the opportunity to earn while you learn. These include craft apprenticeships, such as mobile plant operators and mechanical engineers, as well as our three-year higher apprenticeship programme, which offers the first steps towards a varied career as well as the opportunity to secure valuable qualifications.
Similarly, our graduate programme for specialists in engineering, geology, marketing or a STEM related discipline, offers a structured two-year programme based in a variety of locations across the UK.
Supporting the community
As a responsible operator, we want to play our part in supporting communities near our sites as well as protecting and enhancing the local environment.
Our community assistance programme involves the donation of money, materials and time, through our employee volunteering days. We also regularly host site visits for local people to learn about the extraction process and how the materials are used in everyday life. Our approach is to prioritise support for initiatives:
- Promoting education, skills, and wellbeing
- Protecting/enhancing the environment
- Supporting biodiversity and sustainability
- Promoting the community and heritage of the area
Assistance is prioritised to groups making applications from those based within a three-mile radius of our Hingston Down quarry site. To make an application for funding, material donation and/or volunteer support, please tell us about your group and/or project, what type of support you are seeking and how your project’s aims align with our support initiative goals set out above by completing the form below.
Recent beneficiaries of our local support programme include:
- Gunnislake Football Club: Materials have been donated to support drainage systems for the football field, providing players with a safer and more suitable playing surface (2024).
- German Shepherd Rescue Elite: Received a donation of 1/2 tonne of sand and sandbags to help prevent flood damage at its Camelot kennels in Callington (Nov 2024).
- Tavistock Woodland Estate: Received a donation of scalpings from Hingston Down quarry to help build a dedicated ‘parking’ area for horses, horse boxes and trailers (2023 ).
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