About Hingston Down quarry

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.

Site Biodiversity Action Plan - Hingston Down Quarry

PDF, 1.41 MB

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.