Finding Stone
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CLARA WILLETT and CHRIS WOOD Finding stone Historic England’s Strategic Stone Study’s county-by-county, nationwide survey identifies building stones used, and maps their sources and representative buildings and structures. Totternhoe Quarry, Bedfordshire. Stone, locally known as clunch, has been mined and quarried here for centuries.This important building stone can be found in historic buildings within the county and beyond. (Photo: Clara Willett, © Historic England) Sourcing the right stone to conserve historic buildings can be extremely challenging. Lack of an appropriate supply is not only a matter of aesthetics but also of technical compatibility, because any new replacement stone should match the original in its mineral composi tion and physical properties, in particular its porosity and permeability.An inappropriate new stone can accelerate the decay of the older adjacent stone and is likely to weather differentially. In addition, many new buildings and extensions, particularly those in conservation areas, will have to be constructed using materials matching those of the buildings around them. The rich diversity of England’s geology means that thousands of different stones have been used over the centuries for building. But until now accurate information on the original quarries, and the number Selecting replacement stone and distribution of buildings constructed from these that is less permeable than stones, has been elusive. the original can exacerbate The Symonds Report Planning for the Supply of Natural deterioration of the original. (Photo: Clara Willett, Building and Roofing Stone in England and Wales (2004) © Historic England) identified the problems of sourcing appropriate stone to repair historic buildings. It recommended that a national database of the building and roofing stones be authorities and others by publishing Minerals Policy established, and that mineral planning authorities should Statement 1. Annex 3 on Natural Building and Roofing identify and protect ‘heritage quarries’. In response Stone, recommended that: ‘English Heritage and the to this, the Department of Communities and Local industry are encouraged to make mineral planning Government produced guidance for mineral planning authorities aware of important sources of building and 14 CONTEXT 154 : MAY 2018 LIME AND STONE The Old Manor House, Upper Lambourn, Berkshire. Here sarsen stone sourced nearby is the dominant stone. Each county atlas produced from the Strategic Stone Study is highly illustrated with images of representative stone structures. Berkshire is the latest county to have been completed. (Photo: Geckoella, © Historic England) roofing stone that they consider should be safeguarded (EBSPits) database.The SSS augments this information from other forms of development.’ by supplementing it with expert knowledge and fieldwork The current National Planning Policy Framework to populate three data sets: building stones, their sources, (2012) also encourages identification and safeguarding and representative buildings and structures. of natural stone resources. Paragraph 143 states that The data sets from the SSS are uploaded to the EBSPits local planning authorities should ‘identify and include database, where they can be individually viewed and policies for extraction of mineral resource of local and downloaded, county by county. Each entry of the data sets national importance in their area’ and ‘define minerals includes substantial details. For example, each building safeguarding areas and adopt appropriate policies in stone entry within the building stones data sets includes order that known locations of specific minerals resources geological and petrographic descriptions, identifying of local and national importance are not needlessly features, weathering characteristics and common uses sterilised by non-mineral development, whilst not creat of the stone, known or likely sources, and representative ing a presumption that resources defined will be worked’. buildings. The source’s data set includes each quarry The Strategic Stone Study (SSS) aims to address these location, the stones quarried from it and its status (active/ issues by undertaking a county-by-county, nationwide inactive/ceased). Each representative building and struc survey to identify the building stones used, and map their ture entry in the buildings data set lists the building stones sources (active, dormant and historic quarries within used to construct it and citations for further reference. England) and representative buildings and structures, The data sets are interlinked within the EBSPits and collating them in one online resource. database so that this information can be interrogated Historic England is funding the work and has commis through the interactive Geographical Information System sioned the British Geological Survey and local geological (GIS) web portal.Within this, the quarries and buildings and historic buildings experts who have completed 39 of are plotted on a map with geographical and geological the 48 English counties (using the pre-1974 boundaries). layers (which can be modified to adjust transparency So far 3,928 building stones, 12,491 building-stone quar to make either more visible). Here website visitors can ries, and 17,658 indicative stone structures (including run a query to search the locality of a building or quarry 1,254 predominantly stone villages) have been identified. location to identify nearby sources or representative Initially the survey began with a commission from buildings, respectively (the search can be extended in Historic England for the British Geological Survey to radii measured in kilometres). A specific location and expand its database of quarries, mines and other mineral underlying geology can be explored. workings in the UK (BRITPITS) to accommodate data This interactive search allows the user to get a clearer on building stone resources and the stone built heritage indication of the distribution and relationship between of England creating the English Building Stone Pits stone-built structures and their former or currently CONTEXT 154 : MAY 2018 15 From top to bottom: worked building-stone quarries. Each county also has an ‘atlas’ or gazetteer which summarises and richly Selecting the most appropriate stone for illustrates the use of the building stones (organised replacement requires by geological chronology) within an historic context. geological identification Enquiry reports, the data sets and atlases (in printable of the original, but understanding the local pdf format) can all be saved and freely downloaded. underlying geology and The information from the SSS should help mineral historic sources will help planning authorities identify quarries of importance source a replacement. (Photo: Clara Willett, to the built heritage, whether disused or active, which © Historic England) they consider should be safeguarded from needless sterilisation by non-mineral development. Counties A section of wall at St Ippolyts Church, (such as West Sussex, Somerset and Derbyshire) are St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire, already using information from the SSS to guide their comprises tufa, quaternary local minerals plans. Local authorities are encouraged flint and Hitchin carstone, with occasional glacial to recognise existing and potential quarry sites, and pebbles and cobbles, and to include suitable policies within their development blocks of false puddingstone. plans so that the needs of building conservation can The Strategic Stone Study data and atlas be considered equally alongside other competing uses for Hertfordshire will or designations. This information could also provide be available in late valuable support for a planning application or appeal. 2018. (Photo: Geckoella, © Historic England) The EBSPits database will offer long-term assistance not only to mineral planning authorities aiming to St Nicholas Hinxworth, safeguard important sources, but also to new and historic Hertfordshire is built from Cambridge greensand building professionals seeking information for specific pebbles and cobbles, building projects. Indeed, it is of use to anyone wishing and Totternhoe stone. to find out about building stones, their sources and use. (Photo: Geckoella, © Historic England) The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is now online, making its 400,000 entries easily accessible.As part A section of wall from of Enriching the List, information from the SSS about St Peter’s Church, Iver, Buckinghamshire, includes the types of building stone used in designated buildings false puddingstone and and structures has been returned to be integrated in the flint, and glacial pebbles. NHLE entry, not only enhancing the individual entry, but The Strategic Stone Study data and atlas defining the original stone for matching purposes for any for Buckinghamshire additional or replacement stone. will be available in late The SSS is not intended to override or replace considered 2018. (Photo: Geckoella, © Historic England) professional advice from experts in the stone conservation field, when undertaking a particular conservation or new-build project. No building stone should be selected for use in a conservation or new-build project based on data provided by EBSPits database alone. The EBSPits is the only freely available, single source of information which comprehensively lists the stones used for historic buildings in England. The sheer scale of the task means that it has taken over a decade to complete, but the SSS is on track to be