Shap Beck quarry is located just north of the village of Shap which lies in the fells and dales of Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria.

The quarry supplies around 350,000 tonnes of aggregates annually to the local and regional markets and its on-site asphalt plant. 

The site directly employs 21 people along with many more across its supply chain and support staff including maintenance engineers and HGV drivers.

We actively support local initiatives and programmes which benefit our local community and environment including cash and material donations.

About Shap Beck quarry

Shap Beck quarry is a major limestone extraction site covering 118 hectares which dates back to the 1930s.

It was initially operated by Harrison’s, which was keen to take advantage of the rock’s calcite deposits that were formed when a tropical sea flooded granite and slate 400 million years ago.

In 1942, a dedicated rail connection known as Harrisons Sidings was established off the West Coast Main Line near the Shap Tunnel to haul heavy limestone aggregates products from the site.

While nearby sister operations like Shapfell quarry eventually faced restoration or mothballing, Shap Beck remained an active regional asset.
Now managed by Heidelberg Materials, formerly Hanson, it produces roughly 350,000 tonnes of stone annually.

In it’s history the site has produced over one million tonnes annually with around 650,000 tonnes of that going to the local steel industry to be used in steel production. The remaining 300,000 tonnes were supplied to local regional markets or used to create ready-mixed concrete and asphalt.

Contact us

To contact us, please email the Shap Beck Quarry Team at shapbeckquarry@heidelbergmaterials.com     

Suppliers

To request information about how to become a supplier, complete the form below.

Click here to request information

Downloads

Site Biodiversity Action Plan - Shap Quarry 371.97 KB

Operating times

Our normal operating hours, unless otherwise agreed with Cumberland Council, are as follows:

  • The quarry is open Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 17:00, but it permitted to operate 24 hours, seven days a week.
  • The asphalt plant is permitted to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 
  • Closed on Sunday, public and bank holidays unless prior agreement.
     

Blasting times

Blasting usually takes place once a month at Shap Beck. Our permissions allow blasting Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 16:00 and on Saturday between 10:00 and 13:00.
 

Careers

We employ more than 4,000 people at over 300 sites across the UK and offer a variety of careers and development opportunities. 

visit our careers website

Careers

We employ more than 4,000 people at over 300 sites across the UK and offer a variety of careers and development opportunities. 

These include a wide range of roles from production workers, plant operatives, engineers, technicians and drivers to sales, IT, finance and HR managers. 

Our graduate programme for specialists in engineering, geology, marketing or a STEM related discipline, offers a structured two-year programme based in a variety of locations across the UK. 

We also provide various apprenticeships, giving you the opportunity to earn while you learn and the opportunity to secure valuable industry qualifications.

These include our three-year higher apprenticeship programme, which offers the first steps towards various careers in our sector from site supervisors to quantity surveying, and other apprenticeships for roles including plant operators and mechanical engineers.

For more on our graduate, apprenticeship programmes, career opportunities and our current vacancies and details on how to apply visit our careers website.

Visit our careers webite

News
  • Sustainable future

Spending a penny: Donation brings village toilets back into use

Our Shap Beck quarry has supported Shap Parish Council to bring the village’s public toilets back into use.

Read more

Community liaison

We are committed to open communication about our operations and discussing local issues.

If you represent a local group and are interested with engaging with the quarry, please email the Shap Beck Team at shapbeckquarry@heidelbergmaterials.com   
 

As a responsible operator, we want to play our part in supporting communities where we operate as well as protecting and enhancing the local environment. 

We welcome visits from schools, colleges, scouts, guides and other groups to our site, host open days and support various projects in the community where we operate.

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 and/or enhancing the environment
  • Supporting biodiversity and sustainability
  • Promoting the community and heritage of the area

Request a donation

Financial and materials donations are prioritised to groups from those within a three-mile radius of Shap Beck quarry and voluntary work within 10 miles of our site.

Click here to request a financial or materials donation or voluntary support. Please tell us about your group and/or project, what type of support you are seeking and how your project’s aims align with our priorities above.

Recent beneficiaries

  • Great North Air Ambulance - 40 tonnes of asphalt to surface a car park at its airbase at Langwathby.
Request a donation