Ridge Quarry RAF Reserve Depot

[bigherb]

Ridge Quarry an abandoned Bath stone quarry part of the Corsham complex although owned by the Army the RAF was granted exclusive use in 1936 as a reserve bomb store. The quarry one of the few used as an ammunition store during the first world war already had an extensive two foot narrow gauge rail system further work was done to strengthen the quarry and improve the storage capacity but this was abandoned before completion as the amount of materials used far exceeded expectations.

For further information on the RAF underground depots Nick Camleys book Disasters Underground is well worth a read.

Warning for any one thinking of visiting although not large by Bath stone quarry standards it is still easy to get disorientated so an underground survey map and compass would be essential as well as back up torches.

Infilled slope shaft
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge006640.jpg

Roof fall burying the only part of the rail system they could not salvage.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge002640.jpg

Part of the uncompleted strengthening work
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge026640.jpg

Control room for the winch to the lower level
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge025640.jpg

Slope to lower level
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Dscf0059640.jpg

Fire equipment
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge009640.jpg

Stacking bay number
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Dscf0048640.jpg

Stacking tags
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee169/bigherb/Ridge%20Quarry/Ridge017640.jpg

[ColinBa]

The Pioneer Corps "Chunkies" worked there in the 1950s. Many married ones lived with their families in wooden huts by the side of the pond on the corner. I don't know where the single ones were based maybe at Basil Hill Barracks.

[Richard Drew]

My Dad as a boy between the wars would go down the quarries and see the ponies that were stabled their, for week in the summer the ponies were allowed out and played in the fields around the quarry. His home was Shaw just south of the quarries.

[ColinBa]

My Dad as a boy between the wars would go down the quarries and see the ponies that were stabled their, for week in the summer the ponies were allowed out and played in the fields around the quarry. His home was Shaw just south of the quarries.
Which school did he go to? I lived in Neston (long after the pony era) and used to cycle through Shaw on my way to Melksham

[Richard Drew]

He would have left school at 14 so that would make it 1927 (born 1913) they lived in the Golden Fleece at Shaw. He went to Shaw school and I remember him saying that they would never go to Atworth, because there were more boys there and they beat them up. He also travelled on the last horse drawn coach from Melksham to Bath, but they found him (he had not paid) and was kicked off at Atworth. He also worked for the two sisters that lived in Shaw house as a Chauffer. And one last thing, a girl he was at school with, her father had the same motor bike to Laurence of Arabia and she would tip him off when Laurence visited her father. He would sit on the gate just listing to Laurence talk motor bikes. ( I had to bring the RAF into the conversation!)

My name is Drew if that helps, my uncle Ralph ran the pup in the 60's.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1a/Shaw_church.jpg/240px-Shaw_church.jpg

http://www.menublackboard.com/mb_medium/100040.jpg

[ColinBa]

I am afraid your Father pre-dated me by many years but I am going to a school reunion in Chippenham next month and people in my form currently live in places like Shaw, Holt, Atworth, Gastard, Neston, Westwells, Pickwick and of course Corsham. There will be interest in the above.
When I lived in the area everyone had a bike and cycled through all of the local villages and got to know them quite well. You had to cycle a long way to go out with girls because most of them had been swept up by the thousands of local Servicemen.
I used to cycle to Colerne from Neston to see a girl who's Dad was in the RAF there. Now that was true love, look at the contours on a map.

[olympusman]

Looks rather dangerous your quarry... not for me !