At Park Lane, stone has been extracted since the 1880s. The mine ceased production in the 1960s when concrete became popular for Modernist architecture and was re-opened in 2013.

Having assessed the mines capability, the decision was made to meet and develop demand for the stone. The mine would therefore need to be worked in two areas concurrently with investment in new equipment. Underground, a new Fantini block saw has been installed to square up the blocks before they come to the surface creating a much more regular block. Three new Manitou trucks, each capable of lifting nine tonnes, a Kubota excavator and a Commando drilling rig for roof bolting were all purchased. In addition, a Fantini GU50+ with a 2.2m blade has been ordered.

As one of the largest dimensional stone suppliers in the UK, Blockstone has set a standard to which British stone suppliers should aspire.

The Bath Stone from Park Lane is top quality and regularly available in bed heights of up to 900 mm –greater on occasions.

As the stone is not being processed at the mine, Park Lane is able to focus 100% of its energy on supplying the best possible service to its processing clients. The mindset at Park Lane, as with the rest of Blockstone, is to support and assist in the growth and success of our stone processing clients in as many ways as possible. Suppliers and customers are a team and as such should work together.

The history of Bath Stone quarrying spans over 2000 years from the start of the Roman era. Park Lane was opened in 1886 by quarrymen Randell and Saunders and was worked continuously until 1958 with the exception of a brief cessation during the second world war whilst under the secondment of the War office. Park Lane was never used for the war effort and remained untouched until work restarted in 1948 and the quarry eventually closed in 1960.

There was around 500 meters of underground passages and had its own stables including a cobbled floor to assist in mucking out and wooden stalls…now long gone. There was also a deep well sunk to provide water for the horses. The stable area with the cobbled floor remains.

Park Lane was one of the most successful quarries in the Corsham area producing large blocks of excellent quality stone. There are photos of very large blocks being transported to Corsham Railway Station in 1912 for onward journey to various processing yards.

The mine remained sealed, with the exception of a small colony of bats, from the 1970’s for some 25 years and it is a testament to the excellent quality stone that the roof condition remained so good allowing it to re-open again in 2013.

Today the mine is in full production and the bats that took up residence during the closure now have their own closed off area and are monitored on a regular basis. The colony of lesser horseshoe bats is growing steadily as are the numbers of greater horseshoe bats.

For further information on the history of the Bath Stone Quarries