History
Sited in the beautiful Ribble valley on the edge of Clitheroe, Ribblesdale was set up in 1936 as a joint venture between Tunnel Cement and Ketton Portland Cement; by 1938, through sound investment in two new kilns, the works production was up to 150,000 tonnes of cement a year.
There was another big increase in production capacity in 1983 when £30 million was invested in a new dry-process kiln, enabling 1.3 million tonnes of cement to be produced each year.
In recent years, improvements have been made to the kiln dust filters, resulting in a reduction of dust emissions. Low level dust emissions have also been dramatically cut and in 1998 Ribblesdale became the first cement works in the UK to install a gas cleaning system (also known as a wet scrubber) attached to the dry process kiln.
Increased production efficiencies mean that the work of the three kilns that existed at the end of 2004 is now carried out by just one kiln. |
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Ribblesdale Works
Hanson Cement
Clitheroe
Lancashire
BB7 4QF
Tel: 01200 422401
Fax: 01200 414139
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This is the more modern “dry” process kiln and was the first in the UK to use a gas cleaning system to convert sulphur dioxide into gypsum. This reduces the amount of sulphur dioxide produced during the production process by 90 per cent, and halves the very small amount of dust and ammonia, making it one of the most environmentally friendly kilns in existence. |
Serving the community
Without cement we would have no homes to live in, schools to learn in, hospitals to be treated in and travel would still be down dirt roads. In short, the built environment could not survive without cement.
Ribblesdale’s output is used in large parts of the north of England and Scotland. About 80 per cent is supplied in bulk tankers while the other is distributed as bagged product. The most popular product produced in Ribblesdale is CEM I Portland Cement.
Cement from Ribblesdale has been used in such high profile projects as Manchester United’s home at Old Trafford, Manchester International Airport and The Deep, Hull’s £45 million submarium that’s so deep that the fish tank has to be cleaned by “deep sea” divers. In Scotland, two major contracts have been the Skye Bridge and the upgrading of the A77 road to the M77, between Glasgow and Kilmarnock.
Alongside supplying cement, it is Hanson’s policy to be an active supporter of the community in which it operates and this has shown itself in many different ways, not just in the money it contributes through wages to local people and the buying of services and products in the Clitheroe area.
The company’s support ranges from raising money for a Northwest regional air ambulance to providing a home in Lanehead quarry for a section of the British Bee Keepers Association. And money is regularly spent to make on-site changes that benefit near neighbours by minimising noise and dust levels.
In advance of increased extraction at Bellman quarry, some 11,000 trees were planted initially and more added later in order to thicken the vegetation around the site.
Screening banks were built to shield the view from neighbouring properties and an area of the quarry was grassed over and is grazed by cattle. Lanehead quarry has been similarly screened and, for the longer term, the company has agreed a restoration scheme that will make the quarry a focus for public enjoyment.
Both quarries have become a haven for wildlife and a research programme has been commissioned into the fauna and flora to be found in Lanehead quarry. The wildlife found there is even more diverse than that found at some nature reserves. A study looked closely at the plant and insect life and identified nesting peregrine falcons and ravens as well as 80 other species of birds.
Reports of these activities and other company developments are included in Open Door, a newsletter circulated to every household within a five-mile radius of the works, produced as a means of keeping the local community informed.
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Fascinating facts - Quarrying first took place in Ribblesdale 400 years ago
- A works was first built on the current site in 1936
- Since then the number of employees has grown from 107 to 420
- The raw materials used are 340 million years old
- The works contributes £12 million each year to the local economy
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Contracts supplied
- Manchester International Airport
- Heysham Nuclear Power Station
- Manchester Magistrates Court
- Manchester United football stadium
- Liverpool's Roman Catholic cathedral.
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