History

Chalk extraction at Oxted has occurred for over 100 years.

Extraction was undertaken initially on a small scale but in the mid-19th century operations expanded and a number of lime kilns were developed.

The quarry was considerably expanded when the Oxted Greystone Lime Company Limited was formed and connected the quarry to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway via a private freight siding in the 1880s. Additional lime kilns were developed and extraction increased. The railway continued to operate until the 1940s.

Extensive crushing and screening buildings were erected including a hydrating plant that operated until 1989.

Today the quarry serves the dual purpose of providing extracted chalk and lime to the construction and agricultural industries, with the resulting void offering a waste landfill facility for the construction industry. In the region of 500,000 tonnes of chalk were supplied by the site for M25 construction works.

Southern Gravel Limited began working the site from 2005, initially under a lease from Tarmac. The lease expires in February 2042 at the end of the current planning permission.

Southern Gravel is part of Hollybrook, a construction and development company operating throughout London and the South East.