Granite was being quarried from Bardon Hill by 1622. In 1832 the Leicester and Swannington Railway was opened, passing close by the then village of Bardon. A branch was built to the quarry and continues to carry granite from the quarry to this day. Bardon Hill railway station was near the parish church. The station was closed in the 20th century but the railway through it remains open for freight as part of the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line.