![Granite from local quarries was used to make anything from gravestones to temples, to repairing roads. Monuments that are intended to last down the generations are often made of granite.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cove-5-crop-u267115.jpg)
![When all quarrying ceased in 1958, spring water was allowed to flood the quarry workings.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/new2-crop-u267119.jpg)
![During the quarry's working life, the spring water was a constant problem. Pumps were used to prevent the quarry from flooding. This photograph is from the 1920's.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covew2-crop-u267121.jpg)
![Stone quarrying first began in Stoney Stanton at the beginning of the nineteenth century, however Stoney has been the source of various forms of stone extraction since the Roman period.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cove-4-crop-u267117.jpg)
![This railway line also formed a link between the village and the busy Birmingham to Leicester line.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/new24-crop-u267111.jpg)
![Around 1850, a railway line was built to move granite out of Top Pit. The railway line ran through a tunnel and surfaced near St Michael's Church in the centre of Stoney Stanton.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/new12-crop-u267113.jpg)
![The extracted aggregate was probably removed by horse-drawn cart, as no railway connection is yet shown.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/new6-crop-u267109.jpg)
STONEY COVE THE DRY YEARS
Stone quarrying first began in Stoney Stanton at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Granite from local quarries was used to repair roads. Around 1850, a railway line was built to move granite out of Top Pit. The railway line ran through a tunnel and surfaced near St Michael’s Church in the centre of Stoney Stanton linking the village with the busy Birmingham to Leicester line.During the quarry’s working life, the spring water was a constant problem. Pumps were used to prevent the quarry from flooding. When all quarrying ceased in 1958, spring water was allowed to flood the quarry workings. Five years later, the flooded quarry had already become popular with local pioneers of diving and waterskiing.
![During the 1960s and 1970s, the flooded quarry was used to train commercial divers en route for the North Sea. The facility was also used for developing and testing underwater equipment destined for use in the oil fields.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/mantis-crop-u267070.jpg)
![During the 1960s and 1970s, the flooded quarry was used to train commercial divers en route for the North Sea. The facility was also used for developing and testing underwater equipment destined for use in the oil fields.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/wasp-crop-u267068.jpg)
![In 1978, Stoney Cove Marine Trials Ltd was formed to develop the full potential of Stoney Cove for scuba diving and commercial underwater activities.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sub-crop-u267072.jpg)
STONEY COVE IN THE SIXTIES & SEVENTIES
The discovery of North Sea oil was important to the development of Stoney Cove. During the 1960s and 1970s, the flooded quarry was used to train commercial divers en route for the North Sea. The facility was also used for developing and testing underwater equipment destined for use in the oil fields. In 1978, Stoney Cove Marine Trials Ltd was formed to develop the full potential of Stoney Cove for scuba diving and commercial underwater activities. Since then there has been a continuous programme of improvements which began with a tarmac surface for the waterside parking area. A shower facility and that most important item, a pub, followed soon after.
![The Shiers Bell now stands proudly at the bottom of Stoney Cove as a testament to the epic work carried out by divers during construction of the Thames Barrier during the 1970s.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/diving-bell-crop-u267040.jpg)
![A rigorous test and trial process is essential to prove any submersible craft or equipment and demonstrate that it meets the contractual and statutory requirements.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/warwicksub-crop-u267048.jpg)
![We are proud of the abundance of marine life at the cove, please remember if you are new to Stoney please don't handle them as this will kill them due to stress.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/pike-crop-u267044.jpg)
![The 16th-century “Gresham Ship” was finally laid to rest at Stoney Cove. The remains represent that most exciting period of Elizabethan seafaring, exploration and adventure, the age of Drake, Frobisher, Seymour and Hawkins.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gresham-ship-team-133-crop-u267046.jpg)
![Stoney Cove provides a plethora of items to explore at it's various depths, everything from armoured cars, helicopters, diving bells and a few secrets still to be found.](https://www.stoneycove.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/wreck2-crop-u267042.jpg)
STONEY COVE THE MILLENNIUM TO NOW
September 1999 saw the completion of a new access road and entrance to Stoney Cove. Beneath the new road is a drain system that directs rainwater and silts from the cliffs and banks away from Stoney Cove during storms. This has significantly improved underwater visibility during rainy periods.But that’s not all brought to Stoney Cove in year 2000 The Stanegarth, the U.K.’s largest inland ship wreck, and the Nautilus submarine have both provided major new attractions.
Work on the Underwaterworld Dive centre has brought world class teaching facilities now available for dive clubs and schools to use