page_title: St Brides Major (community)
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: St Brides Major (community) / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Top of Pant Quarry, St Bride's Major As well as a wire fence barrier, heaps of spoil help prevent access to the top of the quarry edge.
context_page_description: St Brides Major is a community on the western edge of the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its largest settlement is the village of St Brides Major, and also includes the villages of Ogmore-by-Sea and Southerndown, and the hamlets of Ogmore Village, Castle-upon-Alun, Heol-y-Mynydd, Norton and Pont-yr-Brown It is notable for coastal geology and scenery, limestone downlands and fossilised primitive mammals, sea cliffs and beaches, two Iron Age hillforts, three medieval castle sites, two stepping stone river crossings and a clapper bridge. Three long distance paths cross the community. It is the western limit of the Vale of Glamorgan Heritage Coast, and has a visitor centre and tourist facilities.
context_section_description: Agriculture has been the traditional mainstay of the local economy, with farms being historically found in all the old villages, plus the hamlets of Pitcot, Durval, Heol-y-Mynydd, Norton and Pont-yr-Brown and isolated farms. Mining and quarrying have also been carried on in various parts of the community. Along the coast both Sutton Stone (a stone valued for its lack of grain and slow hardening once it is exposed to air, so it can be carved and sawn) and lead and other minerals have been extracted. Inland, the Duchy quarry near Castle-upon-Alun is now disused, but two large quarries, the Pant Quarry (operated by Tarmac Group) and Lithalun Quarry (operated by Hanson plc) produce both aggregates and cement from the limestone (along with the nearby Ewenny Quarry, in Ewenny community, operated by Lafarge Aggregates).
  Tourism is the other substantial employment in the community. Ogmore-by-Sea and Southerndown have had hotels, inns and restaurants since the mid-19th century, due to the popularity of the rugged coastline, and continue to provide guest houses, holiday cottages, and even tipi accommodation within the community. The presence of the prestigious Southerndown Golf Club has provided an added attraction since 1905.
caption: Pant Quarry, St Bride's Major
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