Adrian Phillips, owner of Black Mountain Quarries in Pontrilas, Herefordshire, has bought the DeLank and Hantergantick granite quarries in Cornwall from Breedon Aggregates.

DeLank is particularly well equipped, with four 3m primary saws and six secondaries, as well as other processing equipment such as a flame texturing machine. It also has its own CAD expertise.

The processing capacity at the quarry was an important part of the reason for the purchase, says Adrian. It will mean he will be able to bring processing in-house for all his stones and has already sent sandstone from his Callow Quarry to be worked there.

He has retained the 14 people employed at the quarry and by increasing the processing load, both by processing other stones and increasing the product range from DeLank, expects to need more. In fact, he has already recruited one extra person and foresees the number increasing to more than 20.

Adrian says: “There’s going to be a little bit of a culture change coming from a PLC to us and the people there are keen to bring the granite back to its former glory. Everything’s open. We’re looking to do anything from worktops to commercial paving. We’re exploring all possibilities.”

There are 200,000 tonnes of consented reserves of the exceptionally dense, strong Cornish granite in DeLank and 2million tonnes in the currently mothballed Hantergantick quarry next door.

Sales enquiries for the granite should continue to be addressed to the DeLank Quarry at St Breward.

Tel: 01208 850217. Black Mountain contact details are on their website at the address below.