Pandrathen Quarry in the early 70's

In the 60'/70's it was pretty easy to get a job down the quarry because the work was so hard, there was always a turnover of manpower. I joined them in 1970 and stayed for two years before going off to the mainland to drive long distance lorries. In those days we used to make our own concrete blocks and bricks but during the 'building boom' around that time, we just couldn't make them fast enough, so more & more were brought in from the mainland, eventually halting that process locally. It was also during that time that the blasting of the quarry rock-face was stopped, thus leading to an eventual shortage of local granite and thousands of tons of rock & sand being dragged off Bar point.     

The workforce was split into 2 groups, 5 of us, Eddie Oats, Stuart Thomas, Grant Tucker, Gerry Smith and myself, not forgetting Dave Parr who had a workshop on-site, were based at the quarry it's-self and the rest divided amongst the 5/6 building sites that we had going at the same time. Our job at the quarry was to crush the rock and wash the sand aswell as drag the raw materials off the beach, keep the building sites supplied with timber & ready mixed concrete, which we used to mix ourselves. We had 2 lorries, 2 dumpers & a JCB and it was a full time job for us to keep everyone else stocked up. 

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Mitchell's 2 x trucks

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Stuart Thomas driving his.

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Eddie Oats loading mine on Bar beach.

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Me stood between them.

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Dave Parr, the quarry mechanic.

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Me on my way back to the beach.

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Dave with his favourite spanner.

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Eddie

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Eddie trying to take my camera with the back bucket.

Below: Mitchell's Marauders doing job on St Marys quay.

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A few of the building sited that I've supplied or worked on.

Mitchell's

  1. Normandy Moos

  2. Demolition of Springfields hotel kitchen.

  3. Conversion of Springfield Court.

  4. Rear extension to Godolphin hotel.

  5. 2 houses built on Jackson's hill.

  6. Myrtle Cottage

  7. Carn Near Quay

  8. Road construction at Old Town and tarmac laying on various stretches of road around St Marys.

Council

  1. Branksea Close

  2. Mundesley's

  3. St Marys Museum

  4. Carn Gwaval School.

  5. Albert Evans and I dug the trench for the electricity cable from the sports field to Dick Henry's fort.