Quarrying Collection

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. September 1902
A view of the quarry face showing workers sitting on a granite block weighing an estimated 2, 738 tons. It was claimed to be the largest single block ever quarried

Quarry in Mabe or Constantine, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A view of the quarry face showing two workers with sledge hammers standing by a granite block that is being dressed. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A general view of Polkanuggo Quarry with steam traction engine BETA No 483 and workers posing for the camera. The traction engine was made around June 1885 by John Fowler of Leeds

Buddon Wood, Mountsorrel, Swithland, Leicestershire
Sketch of the granite (or syenite) district viewed from Swithland Old Slate Quarry, including Buddon Wood, Mountsorrel, Kinchley Hill and Brazil Wood, Leicestershire

Pulpit Rock - Portland Bill
This is Pulpit Rock a few hundred metres from Portland Bill lighthouse in Dorset. The artificial stack of rock was left in the 1870s after a natural arch was cut away by quarrymen at the Bill Quarry

Man at work, Dinorwig Slate Quarry, North Wales
A man at work, 150 feet up on the main face of Dinorwig (or Dinorwic) Slate Quarry, near Llanberis, North Wales

General view of Dinorwig Slate Quarry, North Wales
A general view of Dinorwig (or Dinorwic) Slate Quarry, near Llanberis, North Wales, soon to be changed for ever with the construction of a new dam

Penrhyn quarry, the largest slate quarry in Wales, Bethesda, Snowdonia, North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Bingham Canyon copper mine, largest man-made hole in the world, United States of America, North America

Gold Mining Ghost Town of Bodie, Bodie State Historic Park, California, USA

Wheal Coates Mine, St. Agnes, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Wheal Coates Mine, St Agnes, Cornwall, England, UK

Blocks being cut in a marble quarry used by Michaelangelo, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Botallack Tin Mine on the coast, Cornwall, England, UK

Chuqui open-pit copper mine, 4km long, 720m d eep, trucks each carrying 300t of ore, Chuquicamata, Calama, Chile, South America

Freeman & Sons dressing floor, probably Penryn, Cornwall. 1903-1904
Classical granite columns on the dressing floor of Freeman & Sons works. The man pictured is either Bernard Freeman or his brother. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Transporting granite blocks for King Alfreds statue to Penryn Station, Penryn, Cornwall. 1901
Fowler traction engines 7974 and 9016 are pictured hauling blocks of granite from one of the Mabe quarries to Penryn Station, for onward transportation by train to Winchester, Hampshire

Tresahor Quarry, Constantine, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A general view of the quarry with the crane used for moving the granite blocks. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. Around 1900
A view of the quarry face showing workers holding the tools of their trade while dressing stones. Blocks of granite are ready to be moved using the cranes based at the edge of the quarry

Penrhyn Slate Quarries
View of the Penrhyn slate quarries at Bethesda, Gwynnedd. Date: early 20th century

Abandoned gold mine, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia, Pacific

Advert, John More & Sons, Quarry Masters, Airdrie
Advert for John More & Sons, Quarry Masters, Airdrie, Scotland. 1905

A Stone Quarry, 1833 (colour litho)
STC169232 A Stone Quarry, 1833 (colour litho) by Kretzschmer, H. (fl.1883) (after); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; German, out of copyright

Granite Quarries, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire
Sketch of Granite Quarries, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, viewed from the rocks near Buddon Wood, by Reverend Baden Powell (1796-1860), father of Robert Baden Powell. 1859

Brazil Wood, Swithland, Leicestershire
Sketch of quarrying (probably granite) at Brazil Wood, Swithland, Leicestershire, by Reverend Baden Powell (1796-1860), father of Robert Baden Powell. 1859

Swithland, Leicestershire, with granite and slate quarries
Sketch of the Swithland area of Leicestershire, with granite at the top of Kinchley Hill, a small quarry to the right, Buddon Wood (granite) to the right, and Charnwood Forest (slate) to the left

Kinchley Hill and Brazil Wood, Swithland, Leicestershire
Sketch of granite rocks at Kinchley Hill and Brazil Wood, Swithland, Leicestershire, by Reverend Baden Powell (1796-1860), father of Robert Baden Powell. 1859

Marble quarry used by Michaelangelo, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Mined sea salt at shallow south end of the Dead Sea near Ein Boqeq, Israel, Middle East

Open cast marble mine, Greece, Europe

Tin mine on coast, Botallack, Cornwall, England, UK, Europe

Women packing dynamite cartridges, 1888. Explosives factory at, Val Bormida, near Cengio, North West Italy
538432 Women packing dynamite cartridges, 1888. Explosives factory at, Val Bormida, near Cengio, North West Italy. From La Nature, Paris, 1888. Engraving

An engraving depicting a slate quarry in North Wales, 19th century
5310738 An engraving depicting a slate quarry in North Wales, 19th century; (add.info.: Date: 1815); Universal History Archive/UIG.

An engraving depicting a slate quarry in North Wales. Three explosive charges were detonated
5310732 An engraving depicting a slate quarry in North Wales. Three explosive charges were detonated. Illustrated by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (1792-1864) a topographical watercolour artist

Nitroglycerin processing plant, explosives factory, Val Bormida, near Cengio, North West Italy, 1888
538429 Nitroglycerin processing plant, explosives factory, Val Bormida, near Cengio, North West Italy, 1888. From La Nature, Paris, 1888

Kirosskii quarry, 1915. Creator: Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky
Kirosskii quarry, 1915.

The British Association at Bath: the village and quarries at Holwell, near Bath, 1864. Creator: Unknown
The British Association at Bath: the village and quarries at Holwell, near Bath, 1864. 'Two hundred persons, on Saturday, accompanied Mr. C

American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876. Creator: Unknown
American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876. The outdoor employments assigned to most of the male convicts, who number above five hundred

In the Quarry. Motif from Switzerland, 1886. Creator: Axel Jungstedt
In the Quarry. Motif from Switzerland, 1886

Stonequarry by the River Oise II, 1877. Creator: Carl Fredrik Hill
Stonequarry by the River Oise II, 1877

Quarry at Pontresina, 1869. Creator: Jozef Israels
Quarry at Pontresina, 1869

Copper mine or quarry, near Montreal, Canada - from a sketch by our special artist... 1860. Creator: Unknown
Copper mine or quarry, near Montreal, Canada - from a sketch by our special artist, G. A. Andrews, 1860. Excitement due to the...discovery of an immense deposit of copper ore in the hillside near

Loading, a New England granite quarry, c1908. Creator: Unknown
Loading, a New England granite quarry, c1908

Channeling, a New England granite quarry, c1908. Creator: Unknown
Channeling, a New England granite quarry, c1908

Quarrying, a New England granite quarry, c1908. Creator: Unknown
Quarrying, a New England granite quarry, c1908

Republic Marble quarry, near Knoxville, Tenn. between 1900 and 1910. Creator: Unknown
Republic Marble quarry, near Knoxville, Tenn. between 1900 and 1910

The Lizard Serpentine Signal-Staff Quarry, near Cadgwith, Cornwall, 1854. Creator: Unknown
The Lizard Serpentine Signal-Staff Quarry, near Cadgwith, Cornwall, 1854. This Quarry...is being worked by Henderson's patented

Protest, Lanlivery, Cornwall. 1993
Opponents of the proposed re-opening of a granite quarry marched between Lanlivery and Luxulyan armed with a 40 foot banner Luxulyan Valley say no quarry and led by a Cornish bagpiper

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Quarrying, a timeless practice that has shaped landscapes and fueled industries for centuries. From the rugged Polkanuggo Quarry in Stithians, Cornwall to the picturesque Buddon Wood in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, these locations hold stories of labor and perseverance. In September 1902, at Polkanuggo Quarry in Stithians, Cornwall, the air was filled with anticipation as workers prepared to extract precious materials from deep within the earth. The echoes of their tools reverberated through time, leaving behind a legacy etched into the very fabric of this historic site. Meanwhile, in Dinorwig Slate Quarry nestled amidst North Wales' majestic scenery, a lone figure tirelessly toiled against nature's might. With each strike of his pickaxe and every load he carried on his back, he contributed to an industry that built nations. Venturing further south along England's coast lies Pulpit Rock - Portland Bill. Here stands a testament to man's ingenuity as quarrying techniques were employed to shape nature itself into magnificent structures that defy gravity. Moving westward towards Bethesda in Snowdonia lies Penrhyn quarry - an awe-inspiring sight that stretches as far as the eye can see. This colossal slate quarry holds its place among giants and remains one of Wales' most iconic landmarks. General view of Dinorwig Slate Quarry showcases not only its sheer magnitude but also highlights how human determination can conquer even the harshest terrains. It serves as a reminder that our quest for resources knows no bounds when it comes to shaping our world. Wheal Coates Mine in St Agnes tells tales of Cornish miners who delved deep underground searching for tin treasures beneath their feet. Their bravery and resilience are forever etched into this coastal landscape where history meets natural beauty. Across borders we find ourselves transported to Apuan Alps in Tuscany where blocks were meticulously cut from marble quarries, destined to be transformed by the hands of masters like Michelangelo.