Thursday 20th December sees the demolition of the 1960’s 56m high chimney at the former CEMEX Cement works at Barrington in Cambridgeshire. An important local landmark the ‘blow-down’ of the chimney represents an important milestone in the transformation of a working Cement Plant to a development of 220 new homes.
Prior to the Plant being acquired by Rugby Cement in 1963, the site was operated by Eastwood’s. Fast forward to 2005, CEMEX became the new owners following the acquisition of the RMC Group who had previously taken over the Rugby Group in 2000.
In 2008 with the ‘credit crunch’ really beginning to bite and demand for construction materials in freefall, the decision was taken to mothball the Barrington site and focus production on Rugby and Ferriby. By 2012 with little prospect of construction demand improving, the company resolved to decommission the site. In 2014, a planning application was submitted to build up to 220 new homes on the site. Once approved the site was marketed and acquired by major housebuilder, Redrow, earlier this year.
The demolition of the Plant is well underway and the chimney blow-down is the only element requiring the use of explosive charges. A raffle has been held in the village for the opportunity to ‘press the button’ that brings the chimney down on the day with all proceeds going to the Friends of Barrington School.
John Drayton who worked at the Plant for over 40 years has climbed the chimney in the past and has one of the bricks from the top of the stack in his collection of Barrington memorabilia. Awarded the MBE for his services to quarrying, John has amassed an impressive collection depicting the geological, archaeological and industrial heritage of the site.
One of the most important fossil finds currently resides in the Natural History Museum in London and John regularly gives talks to schools, local history groups and community organisations on these various aspects of the site; he’s even made a 50 minute DVD of the history of the site and Cement making at Barrington.
Although the demolition of the site will finally remove the evidence of Cement making at Barrington, the Quarry void created over the last century remains to be restored. CEMEX will therefore be a significant presence for the next 15 years having recently been granted permission to continue the restoration of the site through the import of inert materials – soils and clay – from major infrastructure projects in the South East. These materials are brought to site by rail on the refurbished Barrington Light Railway which was originally constructed to bring coal to the Barrington Plant and to export Cement.
20th December represents a significant date in the history of Barrington both with regard to the Cement Plant but also to the community where the presence of the Cement manufacturing has been an important part of the life of the village for over 100 years.
The main photo shows John Drayton with local MP Heidi Allen.