Barrington was one of the largest quarries in Britain. It was developed in the Lower (Grey) Chalk escarpment. In 2005 the remains of an Ichthyosaur were recovered from deep in the pit, a rare find in the Chalk. They are at the Natural History Museum.
The site is a designated SSSI for the 'Cambridge Greensand' which lies at the base of the Chalk. The phosphatic pebbles are fossiliferous and have produced vertebrate remains.
Barrington quarry was the last standard gauge quarry railway in the UK. Thanks to the interest of the quarry manager, John Drayton, and the volunteers of the Rutland Railway Museum, enthusiasts were able to experience steam working in a unique setting, courtesy of the Industrial Railway Society and Rugby Cement/RMC/Cemex.
This 2003 video shows steam and diesel operations at the quarry. It also features detailed coverage of the 40 year old Ruston-Bucyrus 110-RB shovel and dragline. A second video will show winter operations in 2005 just before the quarry line was replaced with road vehicles.
After producing cement at Barrington cement works in Cambridgeshire for nearly 80 years CEMEX stopped clinker manufacturing at the plant in 2008. The decision to turn off the cement kiln at the plant was taken as part of a programme to rationalise the company's cement manufacturing in the UK by transferring a significant proportion of Barrington's production capacity to CEMEX's other UK plants at Rugby (Warwickshire) and South Ferriby (North Lincolnshire), where the manufacturing processes are more modern and efficient.
In May 2012 CEMEX UK announced that there is no economic case to re-start production at its cement plant in Barrington and that it will demolish the facility.
Please forward a link to this video to other interested groups. Thanks.