The Weston-super-Mare Old Town Quarry is now leased by North Somerset Council to the Weston-super-Mare Town Council having previously been leased to the Civic Society. The following looks back over the history of the Quarry.

The Old Town Quarry can trace its origins back to village days. As Weston began to emerge into a fashionable resort land holdings were consolidated by the Enclosure Act and many 'austere or ancient tenements' were removed but villagers retained the right to take stone for building works.

Many early 19th century roads were surfaced with stone from this Quarry and most Victorian houses are built of stone won from this and other quarries along Worlebury Hill. Work was tough and dangerous both for men and cart horses and there were occasional fatalities.

Shot holes were bored six feet into the limestone and then filled with explosive and fuse cable but in 1880 a stone-breaker and steam roller, acquired by the Town Commissioners (the original local council), brought mechanisation to the process but the Quarry remained a dangerous place. More detail can be found on the Civic Society leaflet 'Town Quarry - A Site in Limestone Country'.

In 1953 the Council decided to close the Quarry because it could obtain materials more cheaply elsewhere. Successive councils were unsure what to do: boats and building material were stored on part of the Quarry floor but the site quickly became an eyesore. A planning suggestion to build a block of flats was rejected when the site was deemed unsuitable for any commercial or residential development.

On the 1 December 1986 the Civic Society signed a 15 year lease with Woodspring District Council to take over the Quarry. The intention, as explained in Weston View, was to turn the quarry into a new tourist attraction whilst conserving its character and respecting the atmosphere of the residential neighbourhood. Ideas included: craft workshops; an interpretive base for those exploring Weston Woods; displays on geology, history of quarrying and the building industry; a local nature reserve; and sympathetic landscaping.

There was a major task of clearing rubbish from the site. In 1996 there was a generous grant from the Civic Trust’s Local Project Fund. This allowed the re-roofing of the workshop building, fitting of new doors and shutters making the building watertight.

In 2000 artists and craftspeople were able to occupy the building for the first time. The following year with a grant from the Regional Development Agency Community Development Fund and contributions from sponsors including Bristol Water and the National Lottery, a comprehensive refurbishment of the workshop building was undertaken. This introduced the small workshop units and the exhibition space. A composting toilet was also installed. A new 25 year lease was signed with North Somerset Council.

Throughout the following years continual improvements were made by the Society including in 2006 the introduction of a café. In 2017 at significant cost the Society installed a flush toilet in the workshop building. This was welcomed by all and eliminated the need to trapse across to the old composting closet.

It became apparent to the unpaid ageing volunteers who were the Society Trustees that they no longer had the skills and resources to manage and modernise the facility. Following discussions between the Society and the site’s owners, North Somerset Council, in August 2023 the lease was forfeited and the site became the sole responsibility of the council. 

The council arranged for the demolition of a condemned stone crushing plant structure on the site during autumn 2023. 

On 22nd July 2024, Weston-super- Mare Town Council signed a 35 year lease agreement with North Somerset Council which enables the Town Council to progress with its plans to transform the Old Town Quarry into a landmark arts, culture and heritage asset – a dynamic new hub for culture.

After a successful funding application, the Town Council was awarded a grant of almost £700k from the UK government’s Community Ownership Fund and with an additional £200k from Weston Town Council an extensive refurbishment will be undertaken and the site reopened to the public.

The Society is proud of its voluntary contribution over 37 years in developing the site from dereliction to a thriving artists' community and achieving the ideas expressed in 1986. It looks forward to the proposed long-term future for the site under the stewardship of the Town Council.

The Quarry is located in South Road, Weston-super-Mare  BS23 2LS