News
HRH Visit to De Lank Quarry
On the 21st March 2018 Delank Quarry had the pleasure of welcoming HRH Prince Charles for a private visit around the quarry in Cornwall.
The Duchy are currently developing a small town community of over 4,000 houses including a school, shops and a church near Newquay. Over 40% of Delanks overall production goes to the Duchy and as a small business the Prince has always shown a keen interest in the granite, and as such he requested a visit to see the production process in person.
He was in great spirits on the day and really seemed to enjoy his visit. We know we certainly did. Below are a selection of photos of his visit to the quarry, Enjoy!
Employment Vacancies
Due to expansion we are looking for an experienced person in the following roles
BMQ Stone Slips
We have developed a method of using standard walling stone and cutting the front face off to leave all the natural Beauty of our stone without the weight and the bulk of our traditional product there for giving an economical and cost effective cladding product.
Christmas opening hours 2017
We will be closed for Christmas on the 22nd December 2017 and reopening on the 2nd January 2018
New Porcelain Products introduced
It's arrived! Described as practical, versatile and beautiful: if you are looking to create a seamless transition between your house and garden, porcelain flooring is the ultimate solution. This exciting new product evolution to us offers all the benefits of traditional high strength porcelain, but reinvented for contemporary living. Inspired by natural stone, timber and polished concrete, our different ranges offer a design for everyone. Porcelain has essential advantage over alternative flooring products: not only is it durable, low-maintenance, safe and beautiful, but it is the only product that retains those qualities both indoors and outdoors.
Duchy of Cornwall specifies De Lank Quarry for new Waitrose
The Duchy of Cornwall prides itself on using locally sourced products which is why our sister quarry De Lank, in Cornwall, was specified to produce paving, cladding and four large columns from their Silver/Grey Granite for the new Waitrose that has recently opened near Truro.
BMQ at the shows
2016 is the year that Black Mountain Quarries have decided to hit the shows! We have spent the last 9 months preparing for our first show season. Our stands have all been designed and made in-house and we are really pleased with how they have turned out. It has been a team effort to get us to the first show.
St John’s Walk
The St John's walk cloister at Hereford Cathedral is a covered walk way linking the cathedral with the buildings of the College of Vicars Choral. It has undergone a large scale restoration so that the venue can reach it's full potential as an educational and historical resource for the community. We have been lucky enough to be involved in this fantastic project.
Life as Art
We are thrilled to have our Callow Old Devonian Red Sandstone and De Lank Silver Grey Cornish Granite featured as part of an exhibition of works by Angela Palmer at the Fine Art Society in London.
Callow chosen for Writing Festival
Back in September we had a visit from the Monnow Valley Arts Centre who were on the hunt for the right type of stone!
What can I do with a Boulder?
Boulders can be an incredibly versatile way to create an interesting outside space. Whether you want to achieve an area to relax and chill or somewhere for the kids to release some energy. Hopefully the following images will inspire you to create your own space.
Callow Carving for Sacred Heart Bristol
Just over a month ago Parish Priest, Monsignor Bernard Massey, came to visit us at Black Mountain Quarries. He was on the hunt for a piece of stone to mark a very special place in his church grounds.
BMQ celebrates 10th anniversary
On May 1st 2015 we’re celebrating Black Mountain Quarries’ 10th anniversary. That feels like a good time for sharing some of our favourite memories.
Grand Designs returns to BMQ
Every time we hear mention of the Grand Designs program, we feel nostalgic. Because it could be said that Grand Designs witnessed the birth of Black Mountain Quarries.
De Lank granite rainscreen cladding for Cornwall Council offices
Black Mountain Quarries has supplied silver-grey granite for a Cornwall Council office block at the Beacon Technology Park in Bodmin. Natural stone granite from our De Lank Quarry in Cornwall has been used for rainscreen wall cladding, as well as stair treads, landings and lobbies.
Our Karting Challenge Party
On Saturday 31st January 2015 we finally celebrated a successful past year with our belated Christmas party! The Black Mountain Quarries gang headed down to Supakart in Newport for an evening of go-karting. Everybody had been looking forward to it for weeks, and winding each other up for longer.
De Lank commissioned for NHS Trust project
At the Clock View Hospital in Liverpool, the Mersey Care NHS Trust has undertaken an inspired project to bring together service users, local people and artists to create a series of public artworks in the hospital buildings and grounds. De Lank Quarry was commissioned for its expertise in granite and stonemasonry, to produce the stone pieces for the external landscaped area.
How to Build a Stone Wall
How to build a retaining wall Footings Adequate footings are required with a thickness of approximately 100mm to 150mm and the base approximately 1” wider than the wall, depending upon its final height. Retaining Wall The breeze block size is dependent upon the amount of soil being retained. Brick ties should be put in… View Article
Black Mountain Quarries meets HRH Prince Charles
When the Duchy of Cornwall decided that its Tregunnel Hill project should set a benchmark for sustainable development, it made a commitment to use locally sourced materials and skills where possible. Black Mountain Quarries was commissioned to supply and cut granite from our De Lank quarry in Bodmin, to make kerbs, steps, window sills and back edging for the new Cornish town.
Our new arrival ….
We are delighted to take delivery of our new Bobcat telehandler today. It has been bought from Border Bobcat in Newport, South Wales and will be replacing our current Merlo. It will no doubt be earning its keep very shortly and look well used by Monday morning!
Welcome to our new website
Black Mountain Quarries and De Lank Quarry are very proud to welcome you to our brand spanking new website!
How to Lay Flagstones
To get started an adequate sub-base is required. Joint Widths:A 12mm joint width is a fairly standard choice. Bedding: Mix: 5-7:1 sharp sand/cement mix is recommended. Screed Bedding: Suitable for calibrated flagstones. The bedding material needs to be spread across the whole area to be flagged at a depth of 5-10mm thick. Spot bedding:… View Article
Glossary of building terms
Glossary of building terms Arris – a natural or applied line on the stone from which all levelling and plumbing is measured. Cladding – non-loadbearing stone used as the facing material in wall construction that contains other materials. Course – a horizontal range of stone units the length of the wall. Coursed veneer – this… View Article
Stone Cropping
For cropping or guillotining stone we use a hydraulically powered Steinex 120 tonne stone splitter with a 5 metre conveyor. This allows us to process the large pieces of rock from the quarry into usable walling stone.
The benefits of Natural Stone
Natural stone has a certain magic, it is durable, timeless and honest. It cannot be reproduced or reconstituted by any other material. Its ever changing natural beauty has a truly timeless quality that has lasted and outlasted generations
New Volvo lorry for increased deliveries
Our Volvo lorry is the latest addition to be added to our mini fleet of delivery vehicles. This will allow us to bring our raw stone back from our quarries without the need for outside hauliers. The Volvo will be able to bring back building stone and slabs from Llandraw and Tybubach quarries to enable us to produce our roofing tiles, cills and flagstones as well as our random building stone. Block and smaller boulders will be collected from our Callow quarry to turn into masonry products and the various building stones we have to offer.