Quarries (stone)

Hanson’s is the largest company involved in the stone industry on Portland. From their Coombefield site, stone is quarried for major building projects, and the by-products are crushed and used for general aggregate.
The current workforce for this side of their operations is 16.
Their Bath and Portland Stone masonry works employs a further 34 personnel, and it is here that the decorative work is carried out by the team of masons.
A recently completed project is Paternoster Square, adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral, where the central column, destroyed in the fire of London, has been replaced.

Albion have made substantial investment in new technology and advanced quarrying techniques at their Portland quarries and as a result of this investment all explosives have been successfully eliminated from all of their quarries.
Several sites within Albion Stone's boundaries have been designated as "Sites of Special Scientific Interest". Albion Stone are working alongside English Nature to help protect the fauna and flora on these sites. A Voluntary Code of Practice has been introduced to ensure rarely found geological features are recorded and examined fully.
Albion are now involved in mining stone, a method which eliminates damage to the overburden and reduces noise and disturbance to the surrounding area . For pictures of the mining operation click on images

Hanson is one of the UK's leading suppliers of heavy building materials having a network of more than 600 manufacturing plants serving a range of customers from major civil engineering contractors to local builders and DIY enthusiasts.
UK business is split into three operating divisions.
Hanson Aggregates produces crushed rock, sand and gravel, asphalt and Premix concrete from more than 500 operations. The division incorporates Hanson Construction Projects, a national contracting business specialising in road surfacing and infrastructure work, and Hanson Bath & Portland Stone, which produces traditional building stone.

Hanson Building Products is the UK's second largest brick manufacturer and a leading manufacturer of concrete blocks and specialist precast concrete structures and flooring systems. The division also produces a range of bagged aggregates and decorative and hard landscaping products.

Hanson Aggregates Marine is Europe's largest marine dredging business, delivering to 20 wharves around the UK and in Holland, Belgium and France.
For further information go to www.hanson.co.uk