Extractive Industries

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Several minerals have been extracted in this area including sand, gypsum, gravel and stone and, of course, clay and marl.

Salt
VCH states that the salt springs at Pitchill, Salford Priors, were in use until the middle of the 19th century and a tithe of salt was given in the 12th century.

Coal
On the eastern edge of Salford Priors there were unsuccessful efforts to mine coal at the end of 18th century (Ragley Mes, CR0)

Iron
The Redditch local historian, J. G. Rollins, states that the lower Arrow Valley was a source of iron before the Normans (Redditch Advertiser 22. 2. 1979) - he has found bog ore at Ipsley Alders and the Alcester legend of St. Egwin and the smiths suggests an early iron-working industry, but the source of iron ore could have well been elsewhere.

Sandpits
There were many sandpits in the area but evidence of exact sites is scarce; the sand would have been used in the building trade.

Ref.	Location	O.S.	Notes
B 112	Westholme Road	SP 097519	Now obliterated by housing; in use between 1900 and 1920.
C 131	Coughton	SP 077598	Recently filled in; on OS 6" marked as "old sand pit".
Sp 223	Spernall	SP 102619	Filled in recent years, now used agriculturally; pit about 1 acre on 1886 OS - "old sand pit". Plaster Pit or Gypsum Quarry
Sp 225	Spernall Park	SP 102627	Barely discernible ridge 1 m. deep and 6 m x 10 m. overgrown with small trees, only remains of pit. Said to have been very deep with a proper mine shaft; considered un safe in 1940’s, blown up and filled in. Attic floor of Lower Spernall Farm has plaster from the pit as does house, Shelfield In Throckmorton papers (Stratford R. 0. ) George and John Hollis recorded as successive lessees of pit 1652 -‘85. John Hollis 1706 in parish register is "plasterer".

Stone Quarries
The stone quarried in the area was mostly white lias - a stone which only occurs locally in Warwickshire and part of Somerset -and also the more common blue lias. Name "lias" is derived from quarrymen’s dialect for "layers" as the strata are unusually obvious. Buildings of has stone are to be seen throughout the area. In Studley stone was taken from the R. Arrow in the mid 19th century to scour needles. VCH refers to the stone as "emerystone" but it is probably an abrasive sandstone; no exact site known for its extraction.

Ref.	Location	O.S.	Notes
GA 67	Carmore Hill	SP 126598	Piece of flat ground 40 m x 50 m. with a rise of up to 3 m. at western edge; overgrown with brambles some loose lias stone remains. In "Warwickshire Villages" (L. Cave) it is stated that Alcester Town Hall was built with stone from here.
B 108	Barton	SP 114512	Stone and gravel quarry; on ridge above Avon, now used as farm dump. Papermill opposite bank of river built with its stone.
B 120	Bidford	SP 110537	No trace of quarry but lies stones in field; on OS map marked as "old quarry". In hatter half of 19th century several masons at Bidford and a quarryman in 1850 (D); in 1880 (D)a trade in blue has and cement is mentioned. In 1872 (D) a quarryman worked at Barton; possible site is SP 114513.
E 143 and W 343		SP 108541 & 108538	Quarries marked on OS 6" map; No trace of Exhall quarry but Wixford one lies near road and is being filled in. 1874 (D) Joshua Wilkes of Exhall is lime manufacturer and stone quarry owner.
Sp 230	Spernall	SP 096614	Pit 40 m. x 20 m; 4 m. deep being filled in. 1886 0S shows "Old Stone Fits".

Marlpits
Marl is a limy clay which was used for hundreds of years to improve agricultural land; if the soil was too light, the clay content in the marl helped to make the soil heavier; the lime content added valuable minerals to the land, important in the growing of many crops. Marl was usually dug up quite close to the field where it was to be applied, so marlpits were abundant and usually fairly small. The sites, therefore, are too numerous to mention here. However, three larger pits are shown below as clay may have been extracted from them for brickworks nearby.

Ref.	Location	O.S.	Notes
C 132	Coughton	SP 070599	Deep, tree filled pit used for marl or possibly clay for Alcester Heath brickworks. On 1886 OS marked as "old clay pits".
St 263	Studley	SP 086635	Large pit 40 m. x 30 m. x 4 m. now a pool; marlpit or claypit for brickworks (SP 084646) ; shown 1886 OS
St 280	Mappleborough Green	SP 082656	Large pits up to 6 m. deep and 50 m. long; known to have been used for marl but possibly clay for brickworks (SP 084646)

Claypits and Brickworks
In the past, clay was used for personal cleansing (before invention of soap) and for making pottery: local clay may have been used in this way but its main function, particularly since the 17th century has been in the manufacture of bricks and tiles. The lower Arrow Valley contained many brickworks; known sites listed below.

Ref.	Location	O.S.	Notes
A 31	Alcester Heath	SP 074592	No remains of kiln but depression in ground possible clay-pit; 1771 Enclosure Award (CR0) calls the field "the old brick kiln’; probably used from 17th century. 1850 (D) James Whittingham was brickmaker at Alcester Heath.
A 32	Cold Comfort Lane	SP 081577	No visible remains; site overgrown; clay pit believed to have been used as dump; 1886 OS map shows kiln and works (probably sheds)
A 33	Alcester Heath	SP 082584	Cottages to west (now one building) incorporate partly bricked in kiln; field depressions still visible; earliest reference 1802; John Dipple here c. 1850 (D) to1892 (D); brick and tile making apparently ceased by 1900.
Other Alcester brickmakers are Anker (1807 Jury list CRO) end William Ellen of the Moors (1850, D)
B 107	Clay Hall	SP 102495	Clay pits 20 m. diam. x 6 m. deep; no longer used; no trace or record of a brickworks.
B 111	Stratford Road	SP 117527	Site now occupied by private house; brick kiln in early 19th cent; on 1830 Os mar; 1886 OS shows "Brick-kiln cottages" here.
B 113	Alcester Road	SP 102528	Still used as brickworks and sandpit in 1946 (RDC minutes 1st May 1946 - CR0) ; bricks from here said to be used to build Minerva Works, Alcester; buildings in use.
B 114	Alcester Road	SP 103521	Site occupied by houses; no trace of tin or clay pit. 1854 (D) Bidford had a tile-maker G. Sheffield, and a brickmaker, W. Wadley, (1854 & 1884 and Thomas Winket (brickmaker 1884) but their whereabouts is not known.
K 162	Kinwarton	SP 105590	On lane to Coughton; no traces; Map c. 1800 (CR0) calls field "Brick kiln Close" and seems to show brickworks.
Sp 227	Spernall	SP 092621	Romell’s Hill Pit. 20 m x 40 m. overgrown with large trees; used as dump; in next field red clay bakes hard in the sun; probable site of l7th/18th cent. brickworks; in 1740 "John Garfield of the Brick Kiln" appears in Parish Regis ter and in 1685 Edward Vize rented the kiln from Throckmortons.
St 244	Studley	SP 084646	Opposite Studley College drive; no buildings remain but field called "Brick Field"; levelled 1978; in fields and woods to north and west are many large pits ( up to 16 m. x 30 m. ) probable clay pits; 1886 OS shows brickworks and buildings to west; brick-making ceased here c. 1900. (Picture 30K)
St 271	Brickyard Lane	SP 062637	Large deep pits now used as dump "Studley Landfill Site"; no buildings remain; last used for brickmaking 1960’s; also from 1854 to 1880 John Harper made bricks on opposite side of Node Hill, just in Sambourne parish; William Whittington was a brickmaker in Studley in 1874 (D) but at which site is not known.

Gravel Pits
Gravel was used on the turnpike roads and there may have been several gravel pits in the area but only the following have been traced.

Ref.	Location	O.S.	Notes
A 35	King’s Coughton	SP 084588	Site built on 1977; field called "Gravel Pit Piece" in local deeds and in 1771 Enclosure Award site reserved for mining gravel for the turnpike road.
GA 68	N. of Alne Wood	SP 106616	No trace in field; old pits to south and west remain. 1886 OS has "Old Grave]. Pits" here.
St 276	Bromsgrove Road	SP 073627	Site recently built on; shown on 1886 OS as "gravel pit".

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