A Brief History of Quarrying in Scotland

Here at WM Thompson & Son, we were established back in 1946 as a small, horse and cart coal delivery business on the banks of the river Clyde, but the quarrying industry in Scotland has been around long before that.



We’re proud of both our company’s beginnings and our Scottish heritage, which is why we’re dedicating this blog to the history of quarrying in this magnificent country. Read on to learn more about its prevalence.

How Long Has Quarrying Been Around in Scotland?

There is evidence of quarrying activity taking place as far back as the 16th century in Scotland, specifically in the region of Angus. Records show that many stone products were shipped from the region not just to other Scottish ports, but to England and further beyond, also.

There were notable quarries recorded throughout the 17th and 18th centuries across Scotland, from the slate quarries in Ballachulish (once referred to as the ‘Slate Capital of Scotland’) to the marble quarries on the hebridean islands.

The Natural Stone Products Found in Scottish Quarries

Scotland is famed for its beautiful landscape, featuring an array of dramatic, natural features, from lochs and glens to rugged mountains and rolling hills. It comes as no surprise, then, that it’s also home to a number of natural stones.

Some of the most common of these include:

●     Marble

●     Slate

●     Granite

●     Sandstone

Some of these are still quarried today, whilst others are not. For example, the extraction and distribution of slate was once incredibly prevalent across Scotland, being used as the roofing material for many traditional Scottish buildings. Nowadays, however, slate is no longer quarried in Scotland.

Similarly, marble is also no longer quarried in Scotland, however was also once prevalent. Several marble quarries are now sites of historical interest in Scotland, such as the Iona Marble Quarry and the Ledmore Quarry.

How the Industry Has Shaped Scottish Infrastructure

What was once a booming industry, quarrying is now much less popular. Between 1951 and 2021, over 70,000 mining and quarrying jobs in Scotland disappeared with the rise of deindustrialisation. With that said, over the years it has been an industry that’s played an important role in both the local infrastructure and the local economy.

For example, it is local quarries that have provided many of the aggregates used to lay the roads and motorways throughout modern day Scotland. As for in the past, it’s the country’s diverse geology that has shaped many of its traditional stone buildings.

Quarry Services from WM Thompson & Son

Quarries may not be as prevalent as they once were in Scotland, but we’re still proud to be operating here at WM Thompson & Son.

Our natural quarry products are suitable for a vast range of projects, which we gladly supply to local construction and building companies. If you’d also like to benefit from our services, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.