Report - Buster Lime Quarry, Petersfield - July 2014.

[Longhairshitjob]

Just off of the A3 south of Petersfield is Butser Hill Limeworks.​

A quarry where chalk was extracted form the South Downs and converted into quicklime products useful in building and agriculture.
The processing of chalk requires it to be heated to enable a chemical reaction to take place.
CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 (that is the limit of my chemistry knowledge from skool, sorry Dr Bloss.)

There are several limeworks on the South Downs utilising the chalk the downs are made up from. Whilst Google easily turns up info on other limeworks on the downs this one seems to have mostly been missed.
What I can deduce is that it opened b4 1932 and closed sometime after that. There is mention of motorcycle trials being held there and the trails are most excellent/difficult for the participants.
Also mentioned on a wiki site is that it may have had a narrow gage railway to move the quarried chalk. I can find no confirmation of this but as its online its bound to be true.
Explored on a hot afternoon with minimal wind and I left my sunglasses in the car so snow blindness cut my visit short.
Dotted with abandoned machinery as if it closed for the weekend and never reopened it in now slowly being over run by nature.

The welcome

Adoorable decay

Truck with crusher? behind

F/off big diesel engine.

Hot day

The apprentice

Top view of a kiln.

Heavy

Teeth

1970s Toyota hiace.

The workshop with a Scammell Constructor.

Hymac

Workshop

The house on site has been chaved royally in the last few years.

It was an interesting afternoon walk but I shall probably not return here.

 

[The Franconian]

Re: Butser Lime Quarry. Report. July 2014.

I like your report, thank you

 

[The Kwan]

Re: Butser Lime Quarry. Report. July 2014.

Thanks for posting this man, some heavy duty machinery here

 

[huey]

Re: Butser Lime Quarry. Report. July 2014.

Great pics,can't believe they left all the machines behind.

 

[Deecee]

Great report, always been one of those "next weekend" visits that i never get around to.

 

[pompeybloke40]

I went last week (March 2015) it's exactly the same apart from the house is little worse for ware

 

[sharbex]

I really love the look of that old machinery with the vegetation coming through

 

[trailboss99]

Nice site but a pity all that now vintage machinery is going to waste.

 

[photohunter]

Hey guys..where abouts do you go to get in this place..as looking on gmaps it looks like the a house on the lane?? Thanks

 

[Longhairshitjob]

Hey guys..where abouts do you go to get in this place..as looking on gmaps it looks like the a house on the lane?? Thanks

Knock on the front door. As long as your boots are clean they will let you access it via the kitchen through to the back door.

 

[photohunter]

I was looking at the wrong place on gmaps lol found it in the end but failed it's chained up like a fort lol

 

[Napalmer]

I remember first going in this quarry when I was 14 (now 20) me and a few friends stumbled across it by complete accident as we were out just walking, like teenage boys do. There are now developments going on from Queen Elizerbeth Country Park to the Causeway in Petersfield which is making a cycle track which runs right pass the main entrance to the quarry. So I think I'll have to get up up here again at night as the builders are regularly there during the day. Which suits me as I'll be using steel wool in there for my photography. Does anyone know if there has been any more security measures put in place as a deterrent or is it still abandoned?

 

[Longhairshitjob]

Try looking for the local public footpaths. OS maps rock!

 

[TrevBish]

I drove past last weekend. Surprisingly the actual quarry has now been cleared. You can see the machines even better now. This just from the A3 and what I saw.

 

[photohunter]

We did plan on going back here but when we did there was an trials meeting on. And didn't get the same buzz walking around so we left. Will go again soon tho!!