| Quarrying the Malverns | - Malvern stone was much sought after at the turn of the 20th Century, both for house building and for use in road building.
- After the second world war the Malverns were declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Labour Government, and the drilling and blasting all but stopped on the Malverns.
- Quarrying at Gullet quarry though continued until 1977.
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It's hard to believe in these more environmentally aware times that once there were more than a dozen quarries taking stone out of the Malvern Hills. Scars of the quarrying still visible on the Hills today.
Indeed quarrying was still going on at Gullet Quarry near Castlemorton Common 30 years ago.
The scars of the quarrying are still clearly visible today, particularly on North Hill.
 | | Quarries on North Hill |
Malvern stone was much sought after at the turn of the 20th Century, both for house building and for use in road building. Even then the quarrying was controversial. The famous writer George Bernard Shaw wrote to the Times complaining about the effect the work was having on the Malvern skyline: | "The approach to Malvern... with the hills displayed on the western horizon has always had a peculiar charm. It now has a peculiar horror." | | George Bernard Shaw - letter to the Times |
"The approach to Malvern from the great plain of the Severn with the hills displayed on the western horizon has always had a peculiar charm. It now has a peculiar horror.
Visitors from Worcester used to see the unspoiled North Hill with an indescribable pleasure. They now see it hideously disfigured by three gigantic scoops reaching so nearly to the top of the ridge that they bring home with a shock the appalling conviction that before very long the scoop will go right through leaving a couple of enormous jagged teeth of hill, which will presently be blasted away in their turn changing the Malvern Hills into the Malvern Flats."
George Bernard Shaw: Letter to the Times Buying the rights Ironically it was the setting up of the Malvern Conservators in 1884 to protect the hills that contributed to the growth in quarrying. Local landowners were allowed to maintain their quarrying rights in return for agreeing to the setting up of the Conservators. They then leased these rights to private firms who began the quarrying. In the 1930's, at the height of the great depression, there was a real split in the town between those who wished to stop the quarrying to protect the hills and those who wanted to keep the quarries open because they provided jobs for local people. In the end the Conservators had to buy out the quarrying rights in North Malvern and Little Malvern, taking out a loan to do it. After the second world war the Malverns were declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Labour Government, and the drilling and blasting all but stopped on the Malverns. Quarrying at Gullet quarry though continued until 1977. Mrs J.M. Woodyatt has written to us with family memories of the quarrying work: "I remember as a child back in the '30s, going with my father to collect stone from the Malvern quarry. I believe it was the one at West Malvern.
"My father was E.J. Costello, he and his lorry were under contract to convey stone to build the road from Broadheath through to the A44 near Cotheridge.
"I remember being told to stay inside the lorry cab while my father got out to organise the loading with the Quarrymen.
"The noise of the stone coming down a chute and into the metal lorry was absolutely deafening.
"I was probably about six or seven years old at the time."
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