Quarrying the Malvern Hills was a major industry for many years, with numerous quarries along the length of the Hills.
When did it stop?
Not when the Conservators were created. Not until the 1970s, and after three Acts of Parliament.
What was it like?
It was conducted with what now seems complete indifference to the safety of those living nearby and those using the roads. Even by the standards of the time it seems extraordinary. And it was noisy, with explosions scattering debris and dust widely beyond the quarry boundaries.
What did it do to the Hills?
Huge scars gouged out of the rocks, the raw wounds destroying the lines of the natural rock formations. But then this sorry story was redeemed by the tale of recovery aided by the Conservators, with plantation and nature covering the wounds and converting what were the quarries into what we now see as natural green spaces for visitor car parking and relaxation.
Armed with old photos and a stack of memories from her childhood in Malvern, Elaine Tomlinson’s talk to the Malvern Civic Society on 12 September told this little known story of Malvern’s quite recent history to an audience some of whom added their own memories.