Permanite Asphalt

Permanite Asphalt is located in Cawdor Quarry, Matlock, Derbyshire.

In 1891, Ruberoid Co. Limited invented by the Ruberoid Roofing System. The Permanite name was first used by A. Field & Co, operating in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire in 1900. In 1908 he listed the product Perma Asphaulte, then by 1914 the company was trading under the name of Permanite, Limited with the address of 126 Bishopsgate, London and their works at Old Ford, London E3 and Letchworth.

Mr. J. Smart was a Nottingham born Asphalt and Tar paving Contractor who lived in Stevenage, close to Letchworth. There were actually two Josiah Smarts, father and son, who were operating the Station Quarry at Matlock in 1904. Josiah Smart (senior) died on 9 March 1915 but his business continued to operate in Matlock for a further fourteen years.

Constable Hart and Josiah Smart were two of the largest manufacturers of tar macadam and asphalt in the Matlock district and their two quarries were next door to each other with Constable Hart operating the Cawdor quarry. In January 1929, the newspapers were speculating about their possible amalgamation, although Mr. Birch,who worked for Constable Hart was unsure whether the two would join forces or if one would take over the other. By 1931, Constable Hart was operating both Cawdor and Station quarries. By 1935, Derbyshire Stone was formed to bring together stone quarrying assets of Constable Hart and Co, J. Hadfield and Sons, and Caldon Low Quarries, as well as the whole of Greatorex and Son, and Hopton Wood Stone Firms, and Hartington Quarries.

Permanite opened the Second Mastic Asphalt unit in 1946 at Cawdor Quarry, Matlock, the works were built in a similar style to WWII Nissen huts. In 1949 IKO was formed in Canada. Tarmac acquired Derbyshire Stone and William Briggs to form Tarmac Derby in 1968, they then acquired Permanite Ltd in 1970. Permanite Asphalt became an independent company in 1982.

Around 1986/87, Tarmac could no longer maintain such a large operation at Cawdor, so closed the quarry, making the staff redundant. Permanite Asphalt was now the only company operating in the quarry. In 1989, Tarmac purchased Ruberoid. It became part of Tarmac Roofing Systems Industrial Products Division, along with Permanite. The Cawdor plant was upgraded, causing some staff to be made redundant.

In 2000 IKO enters the UK market and acquires the Ruberoid. Permanite Asphalt is later acquired by IKO in 2009, moving production to their Grangemouth Plant. The site was still in use until 2014, until abandoned by IKO and the Permanite Company being dissolved in 2016.

Today the site is a haven for graffiti artists and local teenagers,the latter who have set fire to various buildings and have smashed everything they can.

The quarry is now becoming a building site, with over 430 buildings planned. The Permanite site is thought to be eventually converted into flats.