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Poulton Quarry

7 Kennet Gardens, Bradford on Avon.

The original entrance to this quarry is now inmmediately northeast of the back garden of 7 Kennet Gardens in a small cliff. A smaller entrance immediately south of the main entrance may have originally been used for ventilation.

Alternative Names: Bradford on Avon 8, Paulton's Limestone Quarry, St Katharine's Quarry

Notes: It is possible that this is the quarry mentioned by John Leland (or Leyland). He has been described as "the father of English local history and bibliography." He visited Bradford on Avon in 1540 and mentioned a 'quarry of fair stone on the right hand side of the road to Trowbridge'. The quarry was certainly working in 1550 when Anthony Web was paying rent "for 1 quarr at Paltun (Poulton)."

Records show the quarry working in 1841 when it was known as Paulton's Limestone Quarry. William Long Junior was recorded as the proprietor of the quarry in 1864. However, stone extraction was no longer profitable by about 1900. During the Second World War, the quarry was used by children from the nearby Fitzmaurice Primary School as an air raid shelter. After the war, the underground passages were used for mushroom production and this required strengthening work, the installation off some ventilation fans and the building of office and store areas.

The entrance was overgrown in 2005 and foam cement was pumped into the workings in 2010. In 2011, the Kennet Gardens housing development was completed adjacent to the entrance. The quarry was being offered for sale by auction by Cooper and Tanner in August 2019 with a guide price of £15,000. The quarry was sold for £50,000 There is a suggestion that the quarry may be used for wine storage.