the Quest for Gravel
Hills History
Edward Hill founded the company in 1990
Edward Hill was still only 28 when, in 1900, he set up in business at the Morris Street Brickworks in Rodbourne, Swindon – and the story of The Hills Group began.
The family characteristic that Edward so ably demonstrated was to work hard and play hard. Combine that with energy, enterprise, affability and confidence and you have the recipe that is still evident today in the Hills family business. It is a special blend that has enabled the family to weather the ups and downs of business life and emerge united and successful.
Post-war expansion into quarrying at South Cerney
Edward expanded his business interests when in 1919 he began prospecting and extracting sand and gravel in what is now the Cotswold Water Park. Hills is believed to be the first quarry company to operate there. The Water Park quickly became one of the most important gravel extraction sites in the South-West and Hills Quarry Products still operates there.
Quarry and concrete sites today
Hills’ first concrete plant was opened back in 2005. The business now has eight ready-mixed concrete plants spread across Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Devon. 2018 saw the opening of Hills rail depot at Royal Wootton Bassett – enabling the delivery of limestone products via rail from Torr Quarry in the Mendips.
Two major new aggregate reserves were bought in 1984 at Shorncote, near Cirencester and at Faringdon. Hills has continued to secure reserves of aggregates in central southern England with quarries at locations including Woodsford near Dorchester, Mortimer near Reading and more recently a former Airfield site on the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire border – where production is due to commence in 2026.
