Box Quarry, Corsham - Aug-Oct 2011

The area has been quarried since the 18th century and the "golden era" for the complex under Corsham (not limited to Box) was between 1850 and 1900 when 3,000,000 cubic feet of stone was removed annually.

However stone has been removed from the area much earlier than the 18th century, dating back to medieval times when stone was extracted from pits in the hillside where the stone reached the surface. Later the area was quarried in vertical shafts, which provided one of the most stunning features of Box - The Cathedral - which was shaft quarried between 1830 and 1850.

Originally the quarry was probably several smaller quarries which over time were combined into one larger complex, and at one time there were a total of ten entrances to the complex, but after 1900 workable supplies of stone in the mine was exhausted and the complex started to close. In 1906 the largest East Gate was closed, with West Gate, North Gate and Bridge Gate closed around the same time.

The most modern section of the quarry - the north section - is known as the Clift Works and was used up until 1969. This area still retains a large amount of the original workings - intact cranes, a crab winch, rails, large collections of tools, and so on. This area even had stone removed by a small steam locomotive, and a water tank was built to service this locomotive.

On the far side of the hill, Spring Quarry was requisitioned during World War II, and Box Quarry was used as a "lung" for this newly established military complex. There are two tunnels connecting to this complex (I believe), which are the Wind Tunnel in the south west, and Brewers Drift in the mid west. Brewers drift was set up by the MOD specifically to supply air through from Box, and so is one of the most modern parts of the site. Both tunnels into this military complex have now been sealed and replaced with vertical air shafts.

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The Cathedral




The entrance to Brewers Drift (The MOD Tunnel)

One of the stone arches heading north into the Clift Works

Crane No. 1





Crane No. 2




Crane No. 2 - The tool bench close up




The "Truck" Crab Winch




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fluffy5518 said:

Crackin shots mate !!! Sill waiting for my guide to fix a trip up for this one !!!

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Happyshopper said:

I've navigated Box 2 out of 3 times, it's not as intimidating as it looks, just grab the maps from Quarrymans and a compass and you're all set! Do Swan first if you're unsure, let someone know what time you're expected out, and then do it

You won't need the south map unless you want to see the whole thing. The main "tourist" highlights are in central and north.

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Happyshopper said:

I've navigated Box 2 out of 3 times, it's not as intimidating as it looks, just grab the maps from Quarrymans and a compass and you're all set! Do Swan first if you're unsure, let someone know what time you're expected out, and then do it

You won't need the south map unless you want to see the whole thing. The main "tourist" highlights are in central and north.

Click to expand...

fluffy5518 said:

Crackin shots mate !!! Sill waiting for my guide to fix a trip up for this one !!!

Click to expand...

daftoldgit said:

looks ace- and we're planning on going there next weekend! how long does it take to get round it?

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