There has been a cement works at our Ketton site in Rutland for almost 100 years and it is now one of the most efficient plants in Europe. The cement is used to make ready-mixed and precast concrete products, grout and mortar and is transported by bulk tanker to our own concrete plants or bagged and supplied to builders’ merchants.
About Ketton cement works
Ketton cement works, supplied by the adjacent Grange Top quarry, is one of the most efficient and nationally significant cement plants in Europe. Around 60% of its production is transported by rail to a depot near London’s King’s Cross station, supplying many major projects in the capital, including Crossrail and landmark buildings in Canary Wharf, as well as wider demand in London and the South East.
The works and quarry together employ over 250 people directly and indirectly, support many more jobs in the supply chain, and are the largest single contributor to business rates in Rutland. First incorporated as Ketton Portland Cement Company in 1928, the plant began producing cement the following year, when 140 men and two women on the permanent payroll produced and dispatched 8,500 tonnes.
Today, the limestone and clay for cement production come from Grange Top quarry, which also hosts a 13‑megawatt solar installation. Its 58,000 panels, positioned on worked-out parts of the quarry, provide around 13% of the plant’s electricity needs, delivering significant CO₂ savings. Ketton is further exploring decarbonisation through participation in a BEIS‑funded carbon capture project; in spring 2022, a trial began using C‑Capture’s solvent-based technology to selectively capture CO₂ from the plant’s emissions.
Grange Top quarry has been active for nearly a century, with areas at different stages of extraction and restoration. Unworked land is largely in agricultural use, complemented by extensive woodland and scrub. The site supports 26 butterfly species and many bird species, including nightingales and sand martins. Over 13,000 trees and shrubs have been planted, and bats are flourishing in a purpose-built 63‑metre cave. The quarry is also a research site in Heidelberg Materials’ Quarry Life Awards, which promotes biodiversity at mineral extraction sites.
To secure the long-term future of Ketton cement works, a planning application was submitted in January 2024 to extend the life of Grange Top quarry by a further 25 years.
Contact us
For all enquiries, please email alison.mytton@heidelbergmaterials.com or telephone 01780 727041.
Supplier information
To request information about how to become a supplier please use the link below to open a form.
Request a donation
Assistance is prioritised to groups making applications from those based within a five-mile radius of our Ketton site.
Cement donation supports hedgehog rescue
Cement donated by our Ketton works has helped a hedgehog rescue centre in Market Overton expand so it can help save more of these endangered animals.
Shooting stars net new goalposts
Budding football stars at St Mary and St John Primary School in North Luffenham have new goalposts and nets thanks to a donation from Ketton cement works. We provided the £1,175 needed to replace the worn-out equipment and our Works Manager Sinan Urhan paid a visit to the school to meet with Headteacher Hannah Roddy and some of the pupils.
Liaison group meeting minutes
Our community liaison group includes representatives from Ketton and Tinwell parish councils. It meets regularly to discuss our operations and future thinking. If you have any suggestions or feedback to be raised at a meeting please contact your parish council clerk.
Minutes from our last meeting can be viewed below:
Planning proposal
Our updated planning application to extend Grange Top quarry and secure the long-term future of the cement works has been submitted to Rutland County Council (RCC). RCC had asked for more information, known as Regulation 25 Revisions, which is a usual part of the planning process for this type of project, and is now carrying out a further programme of public consultation.
Supporting the community
As a responsible operator, we want to play our part in supporting communities near our sites as well as protecting and enhancing the local environment.
Under normal circumstances we welcome school and college visits to our site , host community open days and carry out a broad range of regular community support initiatives. In addition, local charities and community groups have benefitted from the donation of money, materials and time, through our employee volunteering days.
Our approach is to prioritise support for initiatives promoting:
- Education, skills, and wellbeing
- Protecting/enhancing the environment
- Supporting biodiversity and sustainability
- Promoting the community and heritage of the area
Assistance is prioritised to groups making applications from those based within a five-mile radius of our Ketton site. To make an application for funding, material donation and/or volunteer support, please tell us about your group and/or project, what type of support you are seeking and how your project’s aims dovetail with our support initiative goals set out above. Please complete the form found here.
Recent beneficiaries of our local support programme include:
- Discover Rutland Visitor Guide
- Ketton Scouts
- Evergreen Care Trust
- Kiwanis
- The Brian Tumour Charity
- Blackstone Football Club
Reports of these activities and other company developments are included in Open Door, a newsletter circulated to households within a five-mile radius of the works, produced as a means of keeping the local community informed.
Careers at Ketton
At Heidelberg Materials in the UK, you’ll be part of One Team across around 300 manufacturing sites, with career opportunities in diverse roles from production and operations to sales, IT, engineering and finance.
We also offer a range of apprenticeships, a higher-apprenticeship LEAD programme for school leavers, and a structured two-year graduate scheme in disciplines such as engineering, geology, marketing and STEM, enabling you to earn, learn and build a long-term career in the mineral products industry.