Monks Park stone mine reopens

Hanson Bath & Portland Stone’s Monks Park stone mine in Gastard near Corsham in Wiltshire has re-opened after lying dormant for nearly 12 years.

The first stone block was winched to the surface in January following three months of preparatory work at the site.

General Manager Rod Lafargue said: “We are delighted to be back in business at Monks Park and look forward to stepping up production. We have already received considerable interest for Monks Park stone from stonemasonry factories, developers and architects”.

Monks Park stone is a high quality and attractive medium to fine grained Bath stone which is suitable for new buildings, ashlar, and detailed masonry work such as fireplaces. It has been used on The Podium in Bath, St James's Parade, Bristol and the Calne Library as well as further afield in London and Oxford.

The mine had been dormant since 2004, but an unexpected termination of Hanson’s lease at the nearby Hartham Park underground quarry prompted the decision to reopen the site to safeguard local specialist jobs and satisfy customer demand.