Cliffe Hill workers taking part in a local quarry competition?
THE evocative old Echo archive picture of quarry workers has seen more people getting touch, both with a Cliffe Hill connection and a theory that the photo could have been taken during a special competition.
Rob Stinchcombe e-mailed to say: “Having just seen the photo of men rock drilling, in last week’s Echo, it got me thinking. It could be a rock drilling competition.
“My great uncle, Alf Hayes, worked at Cliffe Hill Quarry, near Markfield. He used to tell me of these competitions.
“Teams of men were sent, by most of the local quarries, ie (Bardon, Cliffe Hill, Breedon, Groby, Shepshed. etc etc).
“I have enclosed a certificate (see picture), of one of these competitions, held at Whitwick
Quarry in 1937.
“He was a member of the Cliffe Hill B team. I believe they were held at different quarries each time, so the photo could be Mountsorrel. If you look at the man on the right of the picture, it looks possibly like the word Cliffe on his overalls.
“My uncle’s normal job at Cliffe Hill, was delivering stone, by driving steam lorries, all around the area, even as far as Peterborough!
“He also used to drive the steam locomotives, on the 2’ gauge line, that ran from the quarry, to the sidings, near Ellistown.
“He also told me, that most of the company’s, that made drilling equipment, at that time, used to come to Mountsorrel Quarry, to test it out, as it had the hardest granite in the country.”
Michael Beck, of Groby, also e-mailed in after spotting the Cliffe Hill connection, saying he believed the photo could have been taken there as well.
He said: “The chap on the right has the letters ‘iffe’ on his overalls. I have read in the past a website article by Mercian Geologist 2006 titled ‘Rock quarries of Charnwood Forest’ by Anne Mc Grath, which has several rock drilling quarrymen photographs of the same period. They are courtesy of Midland Quarry Products who had them as date unknown.
“However it stated that the Cliffe hill granite company Ltd became Tarmac quarries in 1965. From other books I would deduce the photo to be from around the 1950s.”