Castle Cement
Encyclopedia
Hanson Cement is a cement
production company located in the United Kingdom
It was called Castle Cement until 2009, when it was rebranded. The company is now owned by HeidelbergCement
. The company meets 25% of the demand for cement in the UK and employs 1,200 people.
.
In the 1980s an amalgamation of Ketco Cement, Ribblesdale Cement (formed in the 1930s in Ribblesdale) and Tunnel Cement (formed in 1949 in Padeswood
) took place.
The Company was acquired by HeidelbergCement
in 1998.
In 2005 the Company's Birmingham
depot was dismantled after being bought by a developer who is constructing a mixed-use complex named Curzon Gate
.
(EAW) in February 2010.
and the works are located in Ketton
in Rutland
, Buckley
in Wales
, Ribblesdale near Clitheroe
and Avonmouth
near Bristol
.
At Avonmouth
the company has a marine terminal, that is used as a site for the importation of cement in bulk, with samples from there tested at the Ketton site's laboratory each week to ensure they meet British Standards
.
Cement is also imported through the Humber ports.
Hanson Cement holds an open day at the Ketton production facility each year in July.
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
production company located in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
It was called Castle Cement until 2009, when it was rebranded. The company is now owned by HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement is a German cement and building materials company. It is currently the world's third largest cement producer, the market leader in aggregates and fourth in ready-mix concrete. In 2010 the company produced around 78 million tonnes of cement...
. The company meets 25% of the demand for cement in the UK and employs 1,200 people.
History
The Company's origins go back to 1929 when Ketco Cement was formed in KettonKetton
Ketton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about eight miles east of Oakham and three miles west of Stamford in Lincolnshire...
.
In the 1980s an amalgamation of Ketco Cement, Ribblesdale Cement (formed in the 1930s in Ribblesdale) and Tunnel Cement (formed in 1949 in Padeswood
Buckley
Buckley is a town and community in Flintshire, located in north-east Wales. It is situated 2 miles from the county town of Mold and is contiguous with the nearby villages of Ewloe, Alltami and Mynydd Isa...
) took place.
The Company was acquired by HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement is a German cement and building materials company. It is currently the world's third largest cement producer, the market leader in aggregates and fourth in ready-mix concrete. In 2010 the company produced around 78 million tonnes of cement...
in 1998.
In 2005 the Company's Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
depot was dismantled after being bought by a developer who is constructing a mixed-use complex named Curzon Gate
Curzon Gate
Curzon Gate is a residential development located on the edge of Birmingham City Centre, England, on a prominent gateway site into the city centre. The land was formerly occupied by Castle Cement silos. The site is located in the Eastside area, which is currently witnessing a large-scale...
.
Environmental Concerns
The company admitted to numerous environmental offences over the years leading up to 2009, during a case in which it was fined 250,000 pounds by the Environment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency Wales
Environment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
(EAW) in February 2010.
Operations
The head office is based in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the works are located in Ketton
Ketton
Ketton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about eight miles east of Oakham and three miles west of Stamford in Lincolnshire...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, Buckley
Buckley
Buckley is a town and community in Flintshire, located in north-east Wales. It is situated 2 miles from the county town of Mold and is contiguous with the nearby villages of Ewloe, Alltami and Mynydd Isa...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Ribblesdale near Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
and Avonmouth
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
At Avonmouth
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
the company has a marine terminal, that is used as a site for the importation of cement in bulk, with samples from there tested at the Ketton site's laboratory each week to ensure they meet British Standards
British Standards
British Standards are the standards produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter...
.
Cement is also imported through the Humber ports.
Hanson Cement holds an open day at the Ketton production facility each year in July.