Tag Archives: Cement

Crown and Quarry Cement Works, Frindsbury Peninsula

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The featured image for this article is a photograph taken by F. Jones of ‘Burham’, a Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST built in 1879 (Works No. 730) came from APCM Burham Works, Aylesford in 1937 and was returned to Burham in 1938 [15: p55], scrapped in September 1952. [6] This photograph was taken at the Crown & Quarry Works and must therefore be dated in 1938. An internet search to check copyright suggests that many of F. Jones photographs are now treated as Public Domain.

Much of this article is based on work undertaken by Chris Down and published in the Industrial Railway Record, Issue 16, published in 1967 and available in the Industrial Railway Society archive. [6]

To the East of the Peninsula were the Whitewall Cement Works. ….

Whitewall Cement Works – South of the southern end of the Lodge Hill & Upnor Railway was the Whitewall Cement Works which were owned by the Formby Brothers and which were active between 1862 and 1907. After 1907 two attempts were made to resuscitate these works – Whitewall Portland Cement Co. Led. (1914) and Medway Standard Portland Cement Co. Ltd. (1915). Neither company ever traded. Robin Waywell tells us that “the site occupied an area of about 24 acres with the works divided into two plants, No. 1 plant contained a pair of 130hp compound condensing engines and two Lancashire boilers, driving crushing & grinding machinery and had seven bottle and two chamber kilns. No.2 plant contained a pair of 130hp Tangye engines, two Lancashire boilers, driving crushing & grinding machinery and nine bottle and four chamber kilns. The wash mill, slurry mixer and pumps were powered by a 90hp horizontal tandem engine. There was a wharf with a frontage of 750ft with tramways and three 3ton traveling loco cranes for loading & unloading barges. The Whitewall site was very inaccessible and used solely water transport. After World War 2 the plant was demolished and the site cleared it is now partly waste ground.” [5: p388]

Chris Down wrote in the 1960s that, “Formby’s Whitewall Cement Works (closed 1909; auctioned 23rd July 1909) whose derelict site can still be examined; … never had a tramway and, after a 50ft deep overburden of Thanet Sand proved too much for quarrying, the works had chalk barged down from Halling. It was at this time that [a] proposal was put forward to extend [William] Ball’s quarry lines to Whitewall, via [a] new tunnel.” [6]

Down’s mention of William Ball means that it is worth noting the various arrangements which were made and broken over the supply of chalk to the cement works on the peninsula.

Down said in his article, that, “With so much industry within ⅜ mile of the river front, it might be expected that disputes arose. The few that did, however, were due to the complicated arrangements for chalk supply that existed and plagued the area for much of its life.” [6]

Chalk supplies for the Cement Works

The various Cement Works which developed on the West side of the Frindsbury Peninsula (Limehouse Reach) are listed below the hand-drawn map below.

William Tingey opened the Crown Cement Works in around 1851 and held something of a monopoly on the supply of chalk to the other Cement Works. Down says that, Tingey, who controlled physical access to the works, “specified that the works should obtain their chalk from him. He performed his own quarrying in the area of his works and later, when this was exhausted, took to barging chalk down from his Wouldham Quarries (the Rochester Chalk Co. Ltd.), a few miles up−river. But the lessors of the land (the Ecclesiastical Commissioners) seem to have appointed a common quarrier, doubtless imagining that this would be a more efficient arrangement than for the individual owners to quarry themselves.” [6]

By 1863, John Cole, appointed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners was quarrying on their land and offering chalk to the nearby works.

It seems that Phoenix Cement Works soon broke the terms of its lease and took chalk from Cole. In 1878, Cole died and was succeeded by William Ball; “on 30th December 1879 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners agreed to rent the land to Ball for an annual rental of £100 plus 5d per ton on the chalk quarried. As other works were put up, the complaints grew in number, both about the restrictions imposed by Tingey … and about the chalk prices charged by Ball. It does seem fairly certain that Ball was trying to some extent to drive the manufacturers out of business. He could then put up his own works and manufacture at a much lower cost. But for the depression of the industry in general, and the formation of A.P.C.M. (1900) Ltd., he might even have succeeded.” [6]

Down wrote that, “Ball supplied Phoenix, Globe, Quarry, Beehive and Beaver exclusively and Bridge probably in part. Tingey supplied himself and Bridge, but these arrangements probably altered according to local animosity at the time. At various times, Ball cut off chalk supplies for a number of reasons that were more or less contrived with the object of demonstration his power; equally often, the manufacturers threatened to obtain chalk from up−river quarries unless Ball reduced his prices. Small wonder that the industry was in such a bad state at the end of the century.” [6]

Crown & Quarry Cement Works were on the western shore of the Frindsbury Peninsula. … The Frindsbury Peninsula was South of Upnor and the Whitewall Works. It was rail-served. The schematic map below was included in the article written by Chris Down in Issue 16 of the Industrial Railway Record in 1967. [6] This map shows the Cement Works and their railways prior to their absorption into

Industrial Premises on the Frindsbury Peninsula prior to 1909. This is one of two images showing the railway routes on the Peninsula provided in Chris Down’s article in the Industrial Railway Record. Both these images can be found here, (c) Chris Down. [6]

A series on seven different cement works were present on the peninsula and all seven became part of the APCM (1900) Ltd.: [5: p54]

  • Crown Works (Established ~1851): Founded by William Tingey & Son, operating long-term before merging into Blue Circle operations that lasted until 1963. [6]
  • Phoenix Works (Started 1877): Established by George Burge, closing by 1907. [6]
  • Globe Works (1880): Established as a cement and whiting facility, later absorbed and closed in 1901.
  • Bridge Works (1886): Operated by TC Hooman & Co. between the Globe and Crown sites. [6]
  • Quarry Works (1889): Established in 1889 by William Tingey’s mineral and chalk mining operations. Independent operations largely ceased around November 1907. [6]
  • Beaver Works (1884): The plant was built around 1884 by Burge (or established in 1885). In 1897, the Beaver Cement Works merged with the neighbouring Beehive Cement Works, driven by an acquisition by the Gillingham Portland Cement Company. It eventually became part of the combined Crown & Quarry works through the 1930s. [8]
  • Beehive Works (1890): In 1897, the Works merged with the Beaver Cement Company Works following the latter’s acquisition by the Gillingham Portland Cement Company. [9]

Dylan Moore provides another map of the peninsula which further clarifies the locations of the different Works which can be found here. [7]

As we have already noted, Chalk for the various works came from pits on land owned by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and from Crown Works own quarry. Chalk quarrying ceased in December 1962, and Crown Works closed in March 1963. The works was rail connected to the North Kent line adjacent to Strood Dock. … An inventory of 1924 listed 1.25 miles of 4ft 8.5in permanent way, with two geared locomotives and 64, 3 ton, chalk wagons. [5: p54]

The earliest railways on the Peninsula were probably 3ft 6in gauge tramways associated with Phoenix Cement Works. These were short horse-worked tramways owned by Joseph Cole. Down has a drawing of these tramways:

The 3ft 6in gauge tramways at Phoenix Works in 1868. It appears that these lines may well have been traced from the Ordnance Survey Sheet (below). These immediately local tramways were no longer present by the end of the 19th century, (c) Chris Down. [6]

The National Library of Scotland (NLS) does not have the earliest 25″ Ordnance Survey for the Peninsula (that published in 1869) on its website. The first image below is an extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1863-1865, published in 1869. Cole’s tramways appear on this map extract inn association with Frindsbury Lime Works.

The Frindsbury Peninsula in 1863/1865 as shown on the 6″ survey undertaken between this dates and published in 1869. Only one Cement Works is  active at this time. It appears not to be Rail-Served in any form. To its North, Frindsbury Lime Works are shown. There appears to be a series of tramways at that location. It is the location of the Phoenix Cement Works on the later mapping, below. [2]

At the end of 1879, Cole was succeeded by William Ball, whose tenancy was renegotiated on a yearly basis. Ball extended Cole’s tramways a little – “to serve the newly erected Globe Works and Bridge Works (reached by a tunnel carrying 3ft 6in gauge rails under Quarry Terrace Road constructed in 1885, the cost being paid by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners).” [6]

Ball sought greater security of tenure in the form of a longer lease. This was resisted for a number of years by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners refused permission for a number of years.

In 1884, Ball was asked to drive a tunnel under Quarry Terrace Road to accommodate a standard-gauge rail line, so that Ball could quarry on the eastern side of the hill and also to allow him to dump arisings on the marshy areas/saltings to the East. The tunnel was around 700ft long and with an adverse 1 in 75 gradient to eastbound trains, and then dropping them at 1 in 200 down to the saltings. By 20th July 1886, the tunnel was finished except for fencing and Ball was paid £1,575 for doing the job. [6]

Down tell us that, “The tunnel immediately opened up new fields of supply for Ball. Within a few years, the standard gauge was extended south to serve the new quarry, Beehive and Beaver Works. While there was probably a transhipment point whereby chalk was tipped into the 3ft 6in gauge wagons (wooden side-tippers holding 55 cwts) serving Phoenix and Globe. Bridge, via its own tunnel, had 3ft 6in gauge quarry lines of its own.” [6]

Down continues: “Soon after completion of the tunnel in 1886, Ball asked for a long lease to enable increased expenditure on locomotives, wagons and tramways, while in June 1890, a review of Ball’s operations stated that he owned three or four steam engines, wagons, tramways, horses and buildings valued at £7,000. … Quite possibly these steam engines were stationary, for Aveling & Porter, the most likely suppliers of locomotives … have no record of deliveries at this time. (Two locomotives, of unknown gauge however, were delivered to I. Ball (Ball’s predecessor?), one in 1868 and the other (named BURNT OAK) in 1869. These were of six and ten nominal horsepower respectively, and were probably used on a coal wharf at Gillingham but may have been transferred to Frindsbury at a later date.)” [6]

On 25th March 1892, Ball was finally granted a long lease. His first locomotive, named ‘Alderman‘, despatched from Aveling & Porter’s Rochester Works on 23rd October 1893 (Works No. 3277, type TC 10), it was a standard gauge 10hp two-cylinder compound 2−2−0 of the traction engine type. … ; the cylinders were 7in (high pressure) and 11½in (low pressure) bore with a common stroke of 12in. ‘Sabina‘, a larger 2−2−0 compound of 20hp and of type TCG, followed on 21st December 1898 (Works number 4248). It was also a standard-gauge locomotive. [6]

Down tells us that, “A plan dated 4th February 1891, shows the layout of the 3ft 6in gauge lines. One branch served Phoenix and another, running between Phoenix and Globe served the latter. Another line went off to serve Bridge. In 1894, the branch to Phoenix was probably abandoned and the line to Globe extended to serve both works.” [6] These tramways are shown on Down’s hand-drawn map of the railway sup to 1909, above.

The earliest available 25″ Ordnance Survey mapping was surveyed in 1895/1896 and published in 1898. A sequence of extracts from that survey appears below.

The tramway network has, by the end of the 19th century, expanded significantly. Bottom left of this first extract , the North end of Joseph Cole’s Ballast Pier can just be made out. A tramway tunnel under the main access road from Parsonage Road to the various Cement Works, can be made out just to the left of the centre of the extract. A tramway which provides access to Frindsbury Peninsula head Northeast in cutting before swinging round to the South. To the left of the image, tramways run through to Cole’s Pier and South towards Phoenix Cement Works. [1]
The full length of Joseph Cole’s Ballast Pier can be seen in the top-left of this next extract and the tramway serving Phoenix Works and its wharf and pier enters the extract at about the third-point from the left. On the far-right of the extract the tramway giving access to the South of the Peninsula can be seen running North to South. Globe Cement Works seems not to have associated tramways. Bridge Cement Works seems to have a short tramway network to its East. [1]
This next extract shows the tramways associated with Bridge Cement Works running Southwest to the High Water Mark. Crown Cement Works is just called a ‘Cement Works’. It appears to have some tramway line between it and the High Water Mark. [1]
Quarry Cement Works and Beaver Cement Works were at the southern end of the Limehouse Reach on the Frindsbury Peninsula. [1]

Down tells us that, “After the APCM takeover in 1900, Ball seems to have continued quarrying much as usual, although there was not the same demand for chalk due to partial closure of some of the works. In 1905, he widened the tunnel to Bridge Works so as to take the standard gauge track from the eastern line. This was to meet APCM’s chalk requirements and cost £135 0s 6d. … It would seem that by 1905, … the 3ft 6in gauge had ceased to be operative, except perhaps the lines to Cole’s and Phoenix Works’s piers. On 3rd December 1909, it was stated that no cement was being made, and this seems to have been the case for three years. APCM had taken to barging down chalk from Halling when any cement was to be made, and Ball’s quarries were inactive. In November 1915, Ball’s lease expired and APCM took over quarrying rights.” [6]

This next series of map extracts come from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907, published in 1909. Significant proportions of the tramway network were converted to standard-gauge. Down shows these on his hand-drawn map of the Cement Works and Quarries for the period up to 1909, which can be found earlier in this article. …

At the North end of the Peninsula, very little change had occurred in the decade since the earlier 25″ Ordnance Survey. [3]
Apart from some construction work associated with each cement works and the confirmation of the name of ‘Crown Cement Works’, the most notable change in this next extract is the tramway which reaches West from the tramway line on the right side of the image and which passes in tunnel under the access road to serve Bridge Cement Works. [3]
Tramways continue to serve Quarry Portland Cement Works and Beehive Cement Works, now named. [3]
This final extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1907, published in 1909 shows Beaver Cement Works and the South end of the Peninsula. As already noted Beaver and Beehive Cement Works were operated by the Gillingham Portland Cement Company as a single operation. [4]

We know that at the turn of the 20th century, all of the cement works on the Frindsbury Peninsula came under the control of the APCM (1900) Ltd. Inevitably there was some rationalisation of operations on the Peninsula. A single operation was formed out of the different Works along the West side of the Peninsula and that new entity was called the ‘Crown & Quarry Cement Works’.

The next ‘snapshot’ that we have of the Peninsula and its railways/tramways is that provided by the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1932/1933, published in 1935. …

The tramways across the various cement works and quarry/chalk pit sites have been replace by standard-gauge railway lines. Although dated 1932/1933, this survey does not pick up some of the sidings shown by Chris Down on his hand-drawn map of the site below. the dates provided by Down suggest that the Ordnance Survey of the site took place early in 1932. [10]
In 1932, Crown & Quarry Cement Works incorporated element so of other Cement Works. It was rail-served by a standard-gauge branch line, and had a number of tramways within its site. A travelling crane operated along the water-front. [10]
The remaining length of the water-front and the buildings associated with Crown & Quarry Cement Works transgress on to the adjacent OS Map Sheet to the South. [11]
This hand-drawn map summarises the various changes on the Peninsula, perhaps the most significant change alongside the creation of a single Cement Works was the rationalisation of the railways and the commitment to standard gauge rails. Down highlights the different dates that each length of line was in use. The drawing covers the full period from 1909 to the closure of Crown & Quarry Cement Works in the 1960s, (c) Chris Down. [6]
The tramways and railways on the Frindsbury Peninsula from the various different eras are shown mapped onto modern satellite imagery by railmaponlin.com. The background satellite image shows that the whole of the Peninsula has been redeveloped since the closure of the cement works in the 1960s. There would be little value in attempting to trace these old lines through a significantly altered physical environment. [12]

From 1900, APCM had control of the Peninsula. Waywell provides lists of the locomotives used by APCM on the standard-gauge lines on the peninsula. His list relies on work undertaken by Down. [13: p54-55][6]

Locomotives in use at the Crown & Quarry Works

Earlier in this article we have noted two Aveling & Porter Locomotives (owned by William Ball) that worked on the standard gauge lines on the Frindsbury Peninsula in the later years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. There were:

  • Alderman – an Aveling & Porter 2-2-0TG locomotive built in 1893 (Works No. 3277)
  • Sabina – a second Aveling & Porter 2-2-0TG locomotive built in 1898 (Works No. 4248)

Both of these locomotives spent their whole life on the Frindsbury Peninsula. [6]

After the turn of the 20th century, APCM used a series of locomotives on the Peninsula. These were:

  • Unnamed – an Aveling & Porter 2-2-0TG built in 1879 (Works No. 1524) came from Booth’s Works Borstal circa. 1928 and scrapped on site in 1930. [13: p54][6]
  • Stuart – No. 7 – an Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST built in 1890 (Works No. 681). [13: p54-55]
  • Unnamed – a Dick, Kerr 0-4-0ST built in 1890 which came from Hilton, Anderson Brook’s Works in Grays, Essex and which went to the BPCM Hilton Manor Works, circa 1930. [13: p54-55]
  • Leopard – a Falcon Engine Works 0-4-0ST built in 1896 (Works No. 239) came from BPCM Tolhurst’s Works circa. 1921 and was scrapped circa. 1930. [13: p54-55]
  • Kappa – a Chapman & Furneaux 0-4-0ST built in 1898 (Works No. 1164) came from APCM Burham Works, Aylesford and was sent to to APCM Swanscombe Works, June 1931. [13: p55][6]
  • George – a Peckett 0-4-0ST built in 1899 (Works No. 759) came from Bevan’s Works, Northfleet in 1934 and was scrapped by A. Arnold of Chatham, September 1960. [13: p55][6]
  • J. G. B. – an Avonside 0-4-0ST built in 1821 (Works No. 1874) came from Thos. W. Ward Ltd., Grays, Essex and was scrapped in August 1964. [13: p55][6]
  • Killarney – a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST built in 1902 (Works No. 611) came from APCM Burham Works, Aylesford in 1934 and was returned in the same year. [13: p55][6]
  • Burham – a Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST built in 1879 (Works No. 730) came from APCM Burham Works, Aylesford in 1937 and was returned to Burham in 1938 [15: p55], scrapped in September 1952. [6]
  • C. F. S. – a Stephenson Hawthorns 0-4-0ST built in 1952 (Works No. 7742) bought new and sent to Holborough Works on loan in 1954, returned from loan by October 1954, then sent to Alpha Cement Ltd., Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxon, circa 1963. [13: p55][6]
  • Southfleet – a Peckett 0-4-0ST built in 1928 (Works No. 1746) came from BPCM Johnson’s Branch, Greenhithe, in August 1960 and sent to to Thurrock Chalk & Whiting Co. Ltd., Essex, in June 1964. [13: p55][6]
  • Stone – a Peckett 0-4-0ST built in 1927 (Works No. 1740) came from BPCM Johnson’s Branch, Greenhithe, in November 1962 and sent to APCM Holborough Works, Snodland, circa 1963. [13: p55][6]
  • Longfield – a Peckett 0-4-0ST built in 1928 (Works No. 1747) came on loan from APCM Holborough Quarry, Snodland, in 1962 and returned later in the same year. [13: p55][6]

Chris Downs concludes in the 1960s: “Crown & Quarry Works was closed and tracklifting in the quarry began on 18th April 1963, the navvies being removed by 10th May. Some locomotives were still in use at this time, though, and there were four locomotives in all at the works. ‘J.G.B.‘ was partly dismantled in a shed near the bagging plant, and had been so for a number of months; officially it had been for repair, but this was never carried out. Of the others, ‘Stone‘ … was somewhat out of favour due to badly worn tyres. ‘Southfleet‘ … was in regular use. ‘C.F.S.‘, … was also a regular worker. … By the summer of 1964, the only locomotive left was ‘J.G.B.‘ In August it was towed out of the shed and cut up. Tracklifting was begun in October, being carried out by two men who professed to be self-employed. By 2nd November, the track had been lifted as far as the level crossing, the rails being burned into short lengths and loaded into a small van. The only remaining piece of railway equipment (within the works, on track embedded in concrete) was a wagon frame and wheels loaded with a crane jib.” [6]

References

  1. https://maps.nls.uk/view/103677173, accessed on 27th October 2026
  2. https://maps.nls.uk/view/266663224, accessed on 27th October 2026
  3. https://maps.nls.uk/view/103677170, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  4. https://maps.nls.uk/view/103677209, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  5. Robin Waywell; Industrial Railways and Locomotives of Kent; Industrial Railway Society, 2016.
  6. C. G. Down; Frindsbury Cement Works; in The Industrial Railway Record, Issue No. 16, 1967, p132-143 & p156; via https://shop.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/16/Frindsbury.htm, accessed on 22nd September 2026.
  7. https://www.cementkilns.co.uk/images/1907_det.jpg, accessed on 22nd September 2026.
  8. https://heritage.kent.gov.uk/Monument/MKE17074, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  9. https://heritage.kent.gov.uk/Monument/MKE17076, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  10. https://maps.nls.uk/view/103677167, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  11. https://maps.nls.uk/view/103677206, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  12. https://railmaponline.com/uk-and-irish-railways, accessed on 27th October 2026.
  13. Robin Waywell; Industrial Railways and Locomotives of Kent; Industrial Railway Society, 2016.

The New Northfleet Cement Works, Kent

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The featured image for this article is an aerial image looking North across the New Northfleet Cement Works soon after construction was completed in 1970. Careful inspection will show the loop of rail sidings that ran round the core of the works, © Christoph Bull/Gravesend Libraries. [17]

Stoyel & Kidner write “The 1970s saw the final end of a process of rationalising the cement industry which had been going on for nearly a century. By 1880 it had become inefficient and almost suicidally competitive. Each works sought its own supplies of chalk and clay, and there was not enough mineral-bearing land to go round. Also, the adoption of the rotary kiln required a considerable capital investment, this could only be recouped by large-scale production, which in turn required larger reserves of raw materials. The formation of the ‘combine’ in 1900 allowed less favoured works to be shut, with the more favoured receiving rotary kilns. It was this trend, especially in the 1920s, which caused the replacement of narrow gauge by standard gauge lines, and the concentration of the industry into fewer but larger works requiring greater tonnages of raw materials.” [1: p112]

“By the 1930s there were just a few modern works: Kent, Johnsons, Swanscombe, and Bevans in the Thames heartland of the industry, and these served through the 1950s.” [1: p112]

APCM undertook a fundamental review of its UK manufacturing. It “built new, larger, regional works based on the more economic dry process of manufacture. These were at Dunbar, Weardale, Hope, Cauldon and Plymstock.” [1: p112-113]

APCM took a different approach with the works in the Thames Estuary, deciding to replace them with a new very large works based on the wet process of cement manufacture. Alone among the earlier works, Swanscombe was retained to focus on producing special cements. [1: p113]

The new Northfleet plant was not constructed until the beginning of the 1970s and became fully operational by 1972. It was predominantly built on brownfield land which included the sites of: Bevan’s Cement Works (Northfleet); the Crown Portland Cement Plant; and the London Portland Cement Plant. It was necessary as APCM sought to centralise operations in a strive for efficiency.

This somewhat overexposed aerial image shows the immediate site of the Northfleet Cement Work in 1990. (c) Kent County Council & Getmapping.com. [5]

Construction of the then new Northfleet Works commenced in 1968. David Glasspool tells us that, “By this time, in addition to United Kingdom trade, APCM had significant exports, and to supply all interests, the cement plant was to be equipped with six kilns capable of a combined output of four million tonnes of cement a year. Approximately 20% of this was destined for overseas markets: Africa and North America in particular. To feed the works, excavation commenced in Greenhithe to produce a huge chalk pit on former farmland, alongside an existing quarry operation. This subsequently became known as “Western Quarry”: its existing easterly neighbour, which had been in use since the turn of the 20th Century, was also included within the plans. In 1969, the go-ahead was given to deepen this pit (by then known as “Eastern Quarry”) by a further 6.7 metres. This followed in the footsteps of a previous deepening exercise in 1952, which saw the pit floor lowered by 2.4 metres, and would allow new chalk supplies to be reached in anticipation of Northfleet Works’ opening.” [2]

Cement Manufacturing Plants replaced by Northfleet Works included: Bevan’s Works (Northfleet); Cliffe Works (Hoo Peninsula); Holborough Works (Medway); Johnson’s Works (Greenhithe); Kent Works (Stone); Metropolitan Works (Essex); and Wouldham Works (Essex).

Northfleet Cement Works operated from 1970 until its final closure in 2008. Built on older, exhausted lime and ballast sites (including the former Bevan’s Works), it was once the largest cement plant in the world, featuring six massive wet-process rotary kilns. Dylan Moore tells us that, “The site was cleared in 2009-10, and the stacks were finally demolished on 28/3/2010. The western (ex-Johnsons) quarry was redeveloped in the 1990s as the Bluewater Retail Park. The eastern (ex-Swanscombe) quarry awaits redevelopment.” [3]

More information can be found here. [3]

The Northfleet Cement Works relied on a highly advanced, bidirectional double-track rail loop and an extensive marine wharf network. This configuration made it one of the most logistically efficient industrial plants of its time, allowing it to move millions of tons of heavy materials every year without causing bottlenecks. A double-track branch line curved around the perimeter of the cement works. Trains entered the site, offloaded or loaded, and exited back onto the mainline. Dylan Moore says: “An efficient looped rail link was established, accessing the plant through tunnels first driven for quarry access, and this allowed coal and gypsum to be brought in by shuttle trains without the need to re-verse. Up to seven 1500 ton trains of cement could be shipped out per day to a set of mostly newly-constructed depots around the country.” [3]

Locomotives at New Northfleet Cement Works

Shortly after the opening of the New Northfleet Cement Works. It was decided to convert the rotary kilns to coal firing. To do this, works were put in hand to re-open part of the former LCDR West Street branch as far as the yard of the closed Southfleet and Springhead station to allow coal trains entry from the Victoria to Chatham main line at Fawkham junction. … A new road “Foxhounds Way” was also constructed to allow coal lorries access to the works via the Swanscombe – Bean road.

Coal shipments commenced from the Nottinghamshire coal field in December 1970, the usual motive power being Class 45 Peak diesel electric locomotives, a rare visitor to North Kent.

Shunting the coal wagons around the run round loop and head shunt arrangement at Southfleet was the responsibility of the sites resident diesel shunter. [9]

Once the wagons had been relieved of their loads, the coal passed along a series of conveyors where it was stored in storage silos awaiting loading into lorries for onward transit to the Cement Works. … The arrangement lasted until 1976 when the rail spur from the North Kent Line into the cement works from Northfleet station was opened. The site of the tippler closed at that time and the area appears to have reverted to nature. [9]

By 1972, the resident shunter at the Southfleet coal tippler site was a Sentinel 0-4-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotive, housed in a prefabricated engine shed added by Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM). It seems that the tippler was initially fed by a chain system which winched wagons onto the tippler. Perhaps by 1972 this had become too unreliable or time consuming? [10]

It appears that the Sentinel locomotive concerned was Works No. 10248 which was delivered new to APCM’s West Thurrock Works (Thurrock Chalk and Whiting) in 1966. It was designated as fleet No. 2 and initially painted in a lined green livery. It was part of a major dieselisation push to phase out the system’s steam fleet. It handled heavily laden rakes of internal user side-tipper wagons transporting chalk and raw material between the sprawling quarries and the processing works. It was recorded as present there in 1966. [11] Stoyel & Kidner have a different Sentinel undertaking this role, Works No. 10260. [1: p113]

No. 2 appears to have been transferred to Southfleet in 1972. It was tasked with moving British Rail main line coal wagons onto the site’s tippler tracks. It was only needed at Southfleet until 1976 when the tippler was closed. It was then returned to the West Thurrock Works and was recorded back at work there in the 1980s. [11]

From 1976 onwards no privately owned locomotives worked at the New Northfleet Works. instead, mainline rail operations inside and to the plant were handled directly by British Rail locomotives, predominantly Class 33 “Crompton” diesel-electrics, alongside occasional heavier Class 47 or Class 45 “Peak” diesel locomotives working incoming coal (such as MGR block trains from Welbeck Colliery) and gypsum services.

David Glasspool has a photographic record of a number of BR Blue locomotives working at Northfleet including:

  • ‘Crompton’ No. D6577 is seen two-thirds of the way around the merry-go-round loop, awaiting the signal to clear before proceeding under the cement loading silos in May 1971. Movements outbound by rail started from the opening of the Works. Only inbound movements relied initially of short-distance road transport from the Southfleet Tippler and then only until 1976; [2]
  • ‘Crompton’ No. D6577 once again, now at dusk on the same day. The train had completed the loop around the cement works complex and was now on the western side of the site, facing in the direction of the tunnel portal leading back to British Rail metals; [2]
  • A pair of BR Blue Class 33 diesels seen cruising over the bridge which, at that time, carried the North Kent Line over the tracks which led to Northfleet Cement Works. Heading in the westward direction, the two were hauling the Allington to Westbury empties in September 1983; [2]
  • A westward view of Northfleet Cement Sidings in late 1983 showing a Class 33/2 ready to proceed to the cement works with the Mountfield to Northfleet gypsum train. The formation would embark on the tight curve under the North Kent Line, which leads to the loop line of the cement works; [2]

‘Crompton’ locomotives were also recorded double-heading cement trains from Northfleet to Dunstable in the 1970s and 1980s. [12]

Other references to movements to and from Northfleet can be found on the following links:

  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/auchlander/5154760319 – two Class 37 locomotives, 37226 & 37255 (at Shirebrook, taking the Warsop line at Shirebrook Junction, is a train of empty MGRs from Northfleet bound for one of the Mansfield collieries. [13]
  • https://www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@N06/20841871129 – MGR empties returning to the midlands from Northfleet cement works are recorded at Dartford with Class 47 47327 and Class 45 45004 at the helm on 27th September 1979. The Class 47 would be removed at Cricklewood. [14]

The Cessation of Rail Services

David Glasspool tells the story of the gradual demise of Northfleet Cement Works. … “In 1978: APCM was renamed ‘’Blue Circle Industries Limited’’ (BCI). In the following year alone, worldwide sales for the company totalled £527.9 million, exports forming £69.4 million of this total. In addition to this, over 12,150 people were employed within the company, which had assets valued at £770.6 million. Despite these impressive figures, the export market was actually slowing down, and to cut costs and prevent excessive use of chalk, half the number of kilns at the Northfleet Works had been taken out of use by 1980, after a mere decade’s use.” [15]

Costs continued to rise and new energy-efficient plans saw two of the three remaining kilns were modified for ‘’semi-wet’’ operation, as opposed to their existing ‘’wet’’ processing -this reduced energy costs. [15][16]

The economic recession if the early 1990s saw  Northfleet only working with just one kiln. In February 1993, “the works ceased delivering cement from its Northfleet site by rail, and arrival of chalk and coal by this means only lasted until March. The 13th March 1993 marked the final day of rail operation to the site, and both the loop line and sidings went out of use. … Economic upturn saw the re-commissioning of a second kiln at Northfleet in 1994 in response to demand, but this was not enough to bring rail operation back to the site. Two kilns gave the site an annual output of 1.2 million tonnes of cement. It was also in 1994 that excavation ceased at Western Quarry, which by this time had grown to an area of 240 acres. In the pipeline was BCI’s own concept of transforming the redundant site into a modern shopping centre. The plans had received formal government approval, but on 25th June 1994, the exhausted quarry was instead sold to Australian real estate firm ‘’Lend Lease’’. It was this company which eventually undertook the Bluewater Shopping Centre project.” [15]

After Closure of the Works

Cement production at the site did not cease until the early years of the 21st century. The neglected rail infrastructure associated with the plant was too valuable to completely abandon. In 2012, Lafarge and Network Rail spent £13.5 million to restore and upgrade the rail sidings. The site became a vital logistical hub for the Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) construction project. Freight trains transported millions of tons of excavated earth out of London’s new underground tunnels via the North Kent Line, directly into the Northfleet loop.

From there, the material was transferred via an enclosed conveyor belt onto ships at the wharf to be used for an RSPB wetland nature reserve at Wallasea Island. [2][3][4]

The area of the Northfleet Cement Works and Sidings in the 21st century. the newly reconstructed line can be seen on the right side of this OS Map extract. [5]
Construction of the freight railway project at Lafarge’s site in Northfleet. Work was complete in 2012. [6]

Up to five freight trains operated from Westbourne Park on Mondays to Saturdays with up to four trains on Sundays. The first test train successfully completed the inaugural journey in May 2012 ahead of the line’s official opening in June 2012.

Danny Boyle wrote at the time:

“David Simms, Lafarge Cement’s Kent-based land and planning director, said: “Northfleet, until recently the location of the UK’s largest cement works, is a site with a long history of rail use and is key to the sustainable onward distribution of essential construction materials for the built environment. Our involvement with the Crossrail project marks the latest stage in our vision for the 104-acre Northfleet site and delivers on our commitment to sustainable regeneration.”

“Andy Mitchell, Crossrail programme director, added: “The reinstated Northfleet rail link has been successfully commissioned with the operation of the first test locomotive by GB Railfreight. This new rail link will help us minimise lorry use in central London, as well as ensuring the efficient transfer of excavated material to sites where it can be best used for environmental improvement.” [6]

It was estimated at the time that the tunnelling for Crossrail would produce around six million tonnes of material which would be excavated from constructing the 21km twin-bore tunnel. Close to 100% of the excavated material was expected to be clean, uncontaminated and reusable elsewhere. In fact, during the construction of the Crossrail (Elizabeth line) project, a total of approximately 7 million tonnes of material was excavated. Out of this total amount, about 3.4 million tonnes were specifically dug out by the eight giant tunnel boring machines working on the 42 km of new tunnels, with the remainder coming from station boxes, shafts, and caverns.

A total of 3 million tonnes (roughly 3.2 million metric tons) of the excavated material was transported to Wallasea Island.While early project estimates aimed to send up to 4.5 million tonnes, the final amount delivered to the island made up nearly half of the project’s entire 7-million-tonne excavation payload. [7][8]

References

  1. B. D. Stoyel & R. W. Kinder; The Cement Railways of Kent; Oakwood Press, Headington, Oxford, 1973, 1990. (Page numbers are from the 2nd edition.)
  2. https://kentrail.uk/northfleet_cement_works.htm, accessed on 23rd August 2026.
  3. https://www.cementkilns.co.uk/cement_kiln_northfleet.html, accessed on 23rd August 2026.
  4. https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/9410068.lafarge-cement-works-in-northfleet-is-restoring-rail-sidings-at-the-site-which-will-be-used-by-crossrail, accessed on 23rd August 2026.
  5. https://webapps.kent.gov.uk/KCC.KLIS.Web.Sites.Public/ViewMap.aspx, accessed on 23rd August 2026.
  6. Danny Boyle; First Train Launches New Kent Railway; KentonLine, 15th May 2012; via https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/first-train-launches-new-kent-ra-a64448, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  7. https://newsroom.ferrovial.com/en/local-news/one-millionth-tonne-of-earth-removed-from-crossrails-west-london-tunnels, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  8. https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2022/06/excavated-crossrail-soil-creates-nature-reserve, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  9. https://www.gres.org.uk/gres-local-history/1231-2, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  10. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730959503584733/posts/27602186059368723, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  11. https://paxton-road.blogspot.com/2022/11/alan-sewells-visits-to-thurrock-chalk.html, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  12. https://www.facebook.com/groups/892735862535042/posts/1057069989434961, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  13. https://www.flickr.com/photos/auchlander/5154760319, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  14. https://www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@N06/20841871129, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  15. https://kentrail.uk/northfleet_cement_works_2.htm, accessed on 24th August 2026.
  16. In brief, ‘’wet’’ operation involves feeding the kilns with raw materials in the form of a slurry, with excess water being removed by the application of heat. However, rising energy costs had made this an expensive process, and it was instead decided to remove the water not by heat, but rather filtration. This operation became known as ‘’semi-wet’’. [15]
  17. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/500-new-riverside-homes-take-shape-274962, accessed on 25th August 2026.