Ridge Quarry makes up part of the Central Ammunition Depot Corsham, an amazing
labyrinth of air-conditioned tunnels and chambers, one hundred feet below ground,
and extending under some 200 acres of north Wiltshire countryside in four separate
sub-depots, which between them housed over 350,000 tons of ammunition. The depot
was served by arterial networks of railways and conveyors, and had it's own system of
underground powerhouses to provide electricity for the 100,000 lamps that lit it's
streets.
The four component sub-depots were Monkton Farleigh Quarry, Tunnel Quarry at
Corsham, Eastlays Quarry at Gastard, and of course, nearby Ridge Quarry.
Ridge Quarry is average in size but has changed considerably since quarrying finished
in 1914. When the First World War started it was requisitioned by the War
Department. Electric lighting and tramways were installed as well as racking for many
tons of munitions.
In 1936 work started to adapt Ridge Quarry for the Second World War, 96,000 tons of
stone was removed to make room for storage. The existing racking was taken out, the
floor was levelled and the tramway was extended.
To the west of Ridge Quarry lies another mine called Old Ridge. This is approximately the same size as Ridge and once there was no obvious barrier between the two. When the War Department cleared out Ridge they moved the loose debris into Old Ridge, they then separated one from the other with a wall. A tramway was used to move the waste stone through Old Ridge and a horseshoe shaped passage was formed around the perimeter of the workings.
A second slope shaft was opened in to Ridge Quarry to make access to it's lower level easier resulting in
the need to strengthen a large section of roof.
An old ventilation shaft was fitted with a winch and converted in the a lift shaft, this
could handle a third as much as the struggling slope shafts which at this time were
manned by two shifts of men to increase the amount of munitions being taken in and
out of the mine.
The mine is crossed by a major slip-fault, with the result the one half of the working is
about 20 foot lower than the other. Two slopping haulageways were driven to connect
the upper and the lower levels. Steam winches were installed to pull the carts of the
underground tramway up the inclines.
Work was started in 1938 to reinforce the existing stone pillars with concrete to form
rectangular supports and more regular storage bays and straight interconnecting
haulageways between them. Fifteen pillars were started as well as a length of
perimeter wall in the South East. A few months later all work was stopped
permanently due to costs running in to excess of expectations.
No further work was ever completed or planned at Ridge Quarry and the pillars can
still be seen in varying degrees of completion today. Surface buildings were kept to a
minimum at the Ridge Quarry site so very little still remains.
Ridge Quarry was re-purchased by Neston Estate which exercised it’s right of
pre-emption. Surface buildings were demolished except for No.2 shaft and transit
shed which had found a new agricultural use. Debris from the surface buildings
demolition was bulldozed in to the lift shaft and No. 1 slope shaft completely blocking
them. No. 2 slope shaft is still accessible although little evidence remains today of the
true extent of the storage area below.
