About us
Machen is a limestone quarry situated between Machen and Lower Machen, near Caerphilly, south Wales. The quarry employs a team of 6 on site, and between 15 and 30 contractors depending on operational demand, plus many more in the local supply chain also depend on it for their livelihood.
As a rail linked depot, over 65 per cent of material from the quarry is transported by rail to Birmingham, the Southeast and south Wales, helping cut carbon emissions and keep lorries off the road.
Aggregate from Machen quarry is used to supply high quality construction material to significant infrastructure projects across the south Wales region and surrounding areas. This includes specialist materials such as rock armour, which was recently supplied to Network Rail to protect the Hereford and Abergavenny railway line against flooding. Materials from Machen quarry are also being supplied to the ongoing HS2 project via West Drayton and Kidlington, as well as construction projects in Birmingham.
Machen quarry recently supplied 150,000 tonnes of aggregate to help build a large-scale battery storage facility on the Uskmouth Power Station site in Newport, transforming a former coal fired power station into a sustainable energy park. By using existing rail infrastructure at Machen, the project delivered a 30% carbon reduction over transporting the material by road and reduced congestion on local roads.
Quarrying in the area goes back to 1875, and Machen quarry originally served a number of small limekilns, which were used to convert limestone into quicklime. Remains of these limekilns are still on site, as well as a 1920s transformer house near the rail yard.
From the early 1880s, the quarry was producing 33,000 tonnes of crushed stone per year, and by 1950 the machinery had been modernised, greatly increasing production to 50,000 tonnes per year.
Machen quarry was previously owned by Powell Duffryn Quarries and then ARC South Wales until the name change to Hanson Aggregates (now Heidelberg Materials), in 1999. The quarry was inactive for a short period between 2012-16 due to the economic downturn but now supplies around 900,000 tonnes of much needed aggregate a year.
Contact us
For all enquiries please email: machenquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com
Become a supplier
To request information about how to become a supplier click here.
Biodiversity and Restoration
Heidelberg Materials supports nature positivity via our biodiversity programmes and sustainable water management. This includes our commitment to allocating a minimum of 15% of all active quarry sites for space for nature by 2030.
Our approach for Machen quarry is set out in our Biodiversity Action Plan . Our aim is to enhance fauna and flora, improve and augment wildlife corridors through the linking and management of perimeter woodland and provision of calcareous grasses.
Restoration work within the quarry site will see the creation of fauna and flora habitats reflective of the area’s natural heritage. This will include the development of further species-rich grassland, grazed pasture and extensive broadleaved woodland comprising of native tree and shrub species such as birch, oak and beech. Along with the development of wetland areas the restoration will encourage species such as tree sparrows and bats, reptiles, amphibians and a wide range of invertebrates.
For a map outlining a restored Machen quarry see below.
For details of Heidelberg Materials’ biodiversity and research competition, The Quarry Life Award, which aims to inspire biodiversity and restoration projects at extraction sites globally go to https://www.quarrylifeaward.com
Operations and blasting
A blast is scheduled for Wednesday, 15 April on bench 7 between approximately 14:00 – 16:00*
*Please note our blast times are approximate and, as such, are subject to change due to weather or operational safety requirements.
To keep the local community and near neighbours informed about planned quarry blasts, we notify the local council of our planned blast dates and times.
Aggregates donation improves paths at wildlife haven
Visitors can enjoy a more pleasant walk around a wildlife haven in south Wales after we donated the aggregates needed to improve the conservation area.
Machen quarry’s ongoing support for Bedwas memorial garden
Our Machen quarry in Caerphilly, south Wales has recently donated additional stone and soil to the Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen community garden, named in honour of local war hero, Sergeant Michael Williams.
Rock donation
Machen quarry donated 6 small rocks to the Royal British legion to help prevent parking taking place on the grass.
Liaison Group
We are keen to broaden the local membership of our liaison group, which meets to discuss our operations and future thinking. If you represent a local group and would like it to be considered for membership, please email us at: machenquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com
Minutes from our most recent meetings can be viewed below:
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.
Our community assistance programme involves the donation of money, materials and time, through our employee volunteering days. We also regularly host site visits for local people to learn about the extraction process and how the materials are used in everyday life. 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 three-mile radius of our Hingston Down quarry 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 align with our support initiative goals set out above by completing the form below.
Careers and apprenticeships
Working at Heidelberg Materials is about being part of One Team.
We operate more than 300 manufacturing sites in the UK and employ over 4,000 people, offering 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.
We also provide various apprenticeships, giving you the opportunity to earn while you learn. These include craft apprenticeships, such as mobile plant operators and mechanical engineers, as well as our three-year higher apprenticeship programme, which offers the first steps towards a varied career as well as the opportunity to secure valuable qualifications.
Similarly, 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.
Interested? Apply now...
Take a look at our current jobs and opportunities on our careers website.
