History
The history of Ryall quarry is quite limited, primarily because it opened in 1990s as an unremarkable sand quarry. What makes the site interesting came around in 2004 when the quarry required expansion. For reasons I cannot discover this "expansion" was the development of a feeder quarry around 2 miles South. This is pretty common in big sand quarries, where a conveyor is used to connect the sites, but for again reasons unknown this was not done. Instead, the sites were connected using a barge system on the river Severn, connecting the primary quarry/concrete plant in Ryall with the original south feeder quarry, later moving to a new northern site and for a period of time a Cemex concrete plant in Gloucester on the sharpness canal.
The above image shows the central Ryall Quarry & Concrete plant, along with the original southern feeder quarry and the current northern feeder quarry.
The explore
Ryall Quarry & Concrete plant
The above photo looks down from screening/crushing machine, fed from the warf, looking onto the concrete plant.
The concrete plant itself was pretty unremarkable, just another modern sheet metal industrial building, although it did have an allure it was covered in cameras and alarms so didn't venture too close.
The conveyor leads through a short tunnel from screener/crusher, down to the wharf
The tunnel emerges on the right-hand side, onto the wharf. The hopper in the center is usually fed by a loader which inexplicably wasn't there on this visit, which I assume was somewhere else onsite.
However I was able to dig out a photo from a visit to the site a few years ago, as a teenager, that shows it.
There were 4 of the barges themselves, all being self-powered hopper barges. From my understanding, these barges are the last truly commercial (Non-crt) barges working on the Severn and some of the few still on the English internal waterways.
The bridges of the barges distinctly felt like a conservatory with the heavy use of PVC windows.
Northern Feeder quarry
The northern feeder quarry is just north of Upton upon seven, on a lovely Sunday afternoon leading to hordes of dog walkers in the surrounding fields.
However, the quarry itself is rather just a big sand pit, with the wharf being the real target.
The "wharf" of this feeder quarry is a distinctly bodged feeling, that felt out of character for a company as big as Cemex. With the conveyor being a series of mobile conveyors connecting to an old river barge used as the "Wharf". A hatch was open on the barge, but I didn't venture down since I didn't consider a flashlight a bright thing to bring.
Photos from here are historic & satellite so arguably this is just more background
Southern Feeder Quarry (Ripple east)
The southern Feeder quarry shown to the right, in 2017 operated underneath the M50 motorway bridge. It transported sand and gravel on the barges up to Ryall until 2019, now being operated as a private fishery.
The above (hideously low res) photo shows the loading wharf, a far more substantial structure than that at the northern feeder.
Gloucester sharpness canal concrete plant
In what is now a distastefully modern Costa & burger-king I've had the displeasure of visiting, there was up unto 2019 the Gloucester sharpness canal concrete plant. This plant was also operated by Cemex with sand being barged down from the Ryall quarries down the Severn onto the Sharpness canal into Gloucester docks.
Sadly there is nothing surviving of this site, with the above two photos being the only available. I think this is rather sad as it was centrally located in a city, undoubtedly taking lorry traffic off the roads while being all green and keeping our industrial heritage alive.
Overall It has been extremely interesting to dig into these places that although sparsely documented are some of the last of their kind operating. Along with that Ryall and its feeder quarries can be accessed from a pleasant 5-mile walk along the Severn way, with some lovely pubs in Upton Upon Severn
The history of Ryall quarry is quite limited, primarily because it opened in 1990s as an unremarkable sand quarry. What makes the site interesting came around in 2004 when the quarry required expansion. For reasons I cannot discover this "expansion" was the development of a feeder quarry around 2 miles South. This is pretty common in big sand quarries, where a conveyor is used to connect the sites, but for again reasons unknown this was not done. Instead, the sites were connected using a barge system on the river Severn, connecting the primary quarry/concrete plant in Ryall with the original south feeder quarry, later moving to a new northern site and for a period of time a Cemex concrete plant in Gloucester on the sharpness canal.
The above image shows the central Ryall Quarry & Concrete plant, along with the original southern feeder quarry and the current northern feeder quarry.
The explore
Ryall Quarry & Concrete plant
The above photo looks down from screening/crushing machine, fed from the warf, looking onto the concrete plant.
The concrete plant itself was pretty unremarkable, just another modern sheet metal industrial building, although it did have an allure it was covered in cameras and alarms so didn't venture too close.
The conveyor leads through a short tunnel from screener/crusher, down to the wharf
The tunnel emerges on the right-hand side, onto the wharf. The hopper in the center is usually fed by a loader which inexplicably wasn't there on this visit, which I assume was somewhere else onsite.
However I was able to dig out a photo from a visit to the site a few years ago, as a teenager, that shows it.
There were 4 of the barges themselves, all being self-powered hopper barges. From my understanding, these barges are the last truly commercial (Non-crt) barges working on the Severn and some of the few still on the English internal waterways.
The bridges of the barges distinctly felt like a conservatory with the heavy use of PVC windows.
Northern Feeder quarry
The northern feeder quarry is just north of Upton upon seven, on a lovely Sunday afternoon leading to hordes of dog walkers in the surrounding fields.
However, the quarry itself is rather just a big sand pit, with the wharf being the real target.
The "wharf" of this feeder quarry is a distinctly bodged feeling, that felt out of character for a company as big as Cemex. With the conveyor being a series of mobile conveyors connecting to an old river barge used as the "Wharf". A hatch was open on the barge, but I didn't venture down since I didn't consider a flashlight a bright thing to bring.
Photos from here are historic & satellite so arguably this is just more background
Southern Feeder Quarry (Ripple east)
The southern Feeder quarry shown to the right, in 2017 operated underneath the M50 motorway bridge. It transported sand and gravel on the barges up to Ryall until 2019, now being operated as a private fishery.
The above (hideously low res) photo shows the loading wharf, a far more substantial structure than that at the northern feeder.
Gloucester sharpness canal concrete plant
In what is now a distastefully modern Costa & burger-king I've had the displeasure of visiting, there was up unto 2019 the Gloucester sharpness canal concrete plant. This plant was also operated by Cemex with sand being barged down from the Ryall quarries down the Severn onto the Sharpness canal into Gloucester docks.
Sadly there is nothing surviving of this site, with the above two photos being the only available. I think this is rather sad as it was centrally located in a city, undoubtedly taking lorry traffic off the roads while being all green and keeping our industrial heritage alive.
Overall It has been extremely interesting to dig into these places that although sparsely documented are some of the last of their kind operating. Along with that Ryall and its feeder quarries can be accessed from a pleasant 5-mile walk along the Severn way, with some lovely pubs in Upton Upon Severn
