List Of Some Of The Principal Granite Quarries In Great Britain And Ireland
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This section is from the book "Notes On Building Construction", by Henry Fidler. Also available from Amazon: Notes on building construction.
List Of Some Of The Principal Granite Quarries In Great Britain And Ireland
NAME OF QUARRY. | NEAREST POST TOWN. | COUNTY. | Per Foot Cube in Lbs. | ||
English Granites. Anglesea . | Holyhead. | N. Wales.. | White ... | .. | This stone, sometimes called a granite, is really a quartz rock. Used for Holyhead Breakwater. Too hard to work for ordinary buildings. |
Blackenstone, Dartmoor. . . | Moreton Hamp-sted. | Devonshire.. | Grey.. | ... | Paving in Exeter and buildings. A porphyritic granite, with large brown crystals. |
Boss . . . . . . . . . . | St Brenard.. | Cornwall . | .. | Used in London Bridge, British Museum, etc. | |
Burdon Hill . . . . | Leicester ... | Leicestershire . | Greenish.. | .. | Road metal, much used in Midlands. |
BURTLEY . . . . . . . | Charlestown. | Cornwall . | .. | London Bridge; British Museum; the Vatican, Rome, etc. | |
Carnsew . . . . | Penryn. | Do... | Bluish grey.. | .. | Very fine grain. Putney Bridge. |
Charnwood. . | Loughborough . | Leicestershire . | Dark green, containing very little pink | 186.8 | Syenite. |
Cheesewring. . | Looe Liskeard . | Cornwall ... | Grey.. | 183.4 | Used at Westminster Bridge; Rochester Bridge, Birkenhead; Southampton and other Docks; Great Basses Lighthouse, Ceylon; Plymouth Forts; Devonport Docks; new Eddy-stone Lighthouse. |
Clee Hill . . . | ... | Shropshire.. | ... | .. | Used for road metal. |
Clift Hill. . . | Markfield ... | Leicestershire ... | Dark green, containing some pink | 176.0 | Syenite. |
Cobo . . . | .... | Guernsey ... | Reddish brown and grey | .. | A syenitic granite. |
COLCERROW | Par .... | Cornwall ... | .. | Used at Plymouth Breakwater and Lighthouse; Keyham; Portsmouth; Chatham; Pembroke Docks; Exeter Market, etc. | |
Delank.. | Bodmin .. | Do. | Grey.. | ... | Very large stones, fine and close grained. Used in works at Mil-ford, Portland, Devonport; lighthouse on the Smalls; Black-friars Bridge; Wax Chandlers' Hall, City. |
Foggintor, Dartmoor.. | Tavistock. | Devonshire.. | Do. ... | 162.4 | |
Freemator.. | Do.... | Do... | .. | ||
Grooby.. | Bardon .. | Leicestershire . | Pink and green.. | 173.4 | Syenite. For paving sets and road metal. |
Gunnislake.. | Gunnislake. | Cornwall ... | White and grey.. | .. | Milford and Middlesborough Docks; Devonport Town Hall. |
Haytor, or High Tor | Bovey Tracey .. | Devonshire.. | Grey.. | ... | London Docks, etc. These quarries have been recently reopened. |
Heale, Dartmoor | Plymouth.. | Do. . | Do... | ... | Nelson Column; Royal Exchange; H.M. Dockyards; Crystal Palace. |
Tavistock | Devonshire | .. | .. | Keyham Dockyard. | |
HENSHOROUGH | Lostwithiel | Cornwall. | .. | .. | |
Herm | Herm | Near Guernsey. | Grey | 187 | Syenite. Contains felspar, quartz, hornblende, and a little mica; fine grained; weathers well; hard. Used chiefly for paving; apt to become slippery. |
Lamorna .and Penzance | Penzance . | Cornwall . | Do. ... | ... | Used at Devonport, Keyham, and other dockyards; Portland; Down; Alderncy; Fortifications, St. Ives. |
La Moye . | .. | Jersey | Pink and Grey | .. | Syenite. Used chiefly for paving sets and road metal. |
La Perruquk. | .. | Do. . | ... | .. | Syenite. |
Lee Moor . | Plympton | Devonshire | Grey. | .. | .. |
Lunday Island . | Bideford . | Do | Do. ... | 162.7 | .. |
Markfield.. | Leicester . | Leicestershire . | Dark green | .. | A syenite used for paving and road metal. |
Merrivale.. | Prince-town | Devon | Pale blue | 170 | Good stone. |
New Mill.. | Madron . | Cornwall . | ... | ... | "Stone of excellent quality, and can be obtained of very large size."1 |
Mount Mado.. | .. | Jersey | .. | .... | Syenite. Fine grained. |
MOUNTSORREL.. | Loughborough . | Leicestershire . | Pinkish brown | 164.1 | Syenite. Ussd chiefly for paving and road metal. |
Penryn. | Penryn | Cornwall . | Grey | 182.7 | Used at Devonport, Keyham, Portsmouth, Chatham, Deptford Dockyards; Portland, Down,andAlderneybreakwaters; works at Hull, Liverpool, Birkenhead, etc. |
Pew Tor ... | Tavistock | Devonshire | Reddish brown and grey | 167 | Known as "Tamar" granite. Large blocks in Plymouth Breakwater; Duke of Bedford's buildings, Tavistock. |
Port John... | ... | Jersey | Pink. | .. | .. |
Portmadoc.. | Portmadock | Merionethshire | ... | .. | Syenite. Used for road metal. |
Retire.. | Par . | Cornwall . | Red and grey . | .. | Porphyry. Place House, Surrey. For house ceilings, linings, etc. |
Roughtor ... | Wadcbridgc | Do. . | Plymouth Breakwater; paving in London. | ||
Shap Fell, Was-dalo Head | Shap, in Penrith | Westmoreland . | Pink or reddish brown | 168.5 | A porphyritic granite, containing large flesh-coloured crystals of felspar (orthoclase); takes a fine polish; converted by machinery. Mausoleum, Lowther Castle; columns in Hull Museum; columns, St. Pancras Station; posts, western area, St. Paul's. |
Sheffield ... | Penzance . | Cornwall . | Greenish grey . | .. | New Dock, Malta. |
St. Austell.. | St. Austell | Do. | .. | .. | Much porcelain clay obtained from the decomposing granite here. |
St. Blazy ... | Par . | Do. | Grey. | .. | .. |
Trethwy ... | Do. . | Do. | .. | .. | Porphyritic. Used for Duke of Wellington Sarcophagus, St. Paul's, etc. |
Trowlesworthy | .. | Devon | Red | ... | The only rod granite in West of England. |
Vale | .. | Guernsey . | Grey; blue | 187 | Syenite. |
1 Guide to Museum of Practical Geology.
NAME OF QUARRY. | NEAREST POST TOWN. | COUNTY. | COLOUR OF STONE. | Weight Per Foot Cube in Lbs. | REMARKS. |
Scotch. Granites. ArrAN.. | Avran.... | Bute.. | Grey.. | .. | Two varieties, coarse grained and fine grained; contain a large proportion of quartz. |
BlRSMORE ... | Aboyne ... | Aberdeenshire . | Grey and pink. | .. | Very like Shap granite in appearance. |
Blackhill ... | Stirling ... | Stirlingshire | Red ... | 166-6 | Takes a beautiful polish; turned by machinery into columns, etc. |
BODHAM.. | Peterhead.. | Aberdeenshire . | Grey | .. | Very large stones; Prince Consort's Memorial Fountain, Trafalgar Square. |
Cairngall... | Do... | Do. | Do. ... | .. | Coarse grained; good to polish. |
CORRENNIE ... | ... | Do. | Salmon, grey, red . | .. | Chiefly quartz and felspar with specks of mica or hornblende; Glasgow Municipal Buildings; Tay Bridge. |
Cove ... | Cove.. | Kincardineshire | Dark grey | .. | Used chiefly for kerbs and sets. |
Clinterty ... | Aberdeen ... | Aberdeenshire . | Reddish grey. | .. | .. |
Craignair, Dalbeattie.. | Dalbeattie.. | Kirkcudbrightshire | Grey | 213 | Liverpool; Birkenhead; Newport; Swansea Docks; Liverpool Borough Bank; Buildings in Manchester. |
Creetown, Globe.. | Newton-Stewart | Do. . . | Do. ... | .. | Liverpool Docks. |
Dalmore ... | ... | Sutherlanilshirc. | .. | .. | |
Dancing Cairn ... | Aberdeen ... | Aberdeenshire . | Usually grey; sometimes red | .. | Buildings in Aberdeen. Used in London for kerbs, paving, etc. Composed of quartz, orthoclase, oligoclase, and mica. |
Dyce ... | Do... | Do. | Grey. | .. | .. |
FlNOASK.. | Beauly.. | Inverness-shire. | ... | .. | Loch Beauly Bridge. |
High Rock.. | Breadalbane.. | Perthshire | ... | 166.0 | .. |
Hill 0' Fare.. | Banchory.. | Kincardineshire | Dark red | ... | Fine grain. Used chiefly for monumental work. |
Inverary ... | Inverary ... | Argyleshire | Do. | .. | .. |
Kemnay.. | Kintore ... | Aberdeenshire . | Grey | .. | Docks, Hull; Newcastle; Leith; Forth Bridge, etc. |
KlNSTEARY ... | ... | Inverness-shire | Red ... | ... | Pillars, British Museum; much used in London. |
Longhaven.. | Ellon.. | Aberdeenshire . | Do. | .. | .. |
Oban ... | Oban.. | Argyleshire | Grey. | .. | .. |
Persley.. | Buxburn ... | Aberdeenshire . | Do. | .. | .. |
Peterhead... | Peterhead.. | Do. | Red | 165.9 | Pillars, Carlton Club; good colour; coarse grained. Composed of red orthoclase, albite, black mica, quartz. Good to polish. |
Ross of Mull . | Bunessan.. | Argyleshire | Pink, red, and grey | ... | Liverpool Docks; Westminster Bridge; Northern Lighthouses; Albert Memorial. |
Rubislaw ... | Aberdeen ... | Aberdeenshire . | Grey | ... | Buildings in Aberdeen. Used in London for kerbs, paving, monumental work, etc.; Bell Rock Lighthouse. |
SCLATTIE . . | Do . | Do. | Do. _ | 165.9 | Duke of York's Column; columns in St. George's Hall, Liver. pool and Fishmomrers' Hall. Coarsegrained. Good to polish |
Strontian.. . | .. | Argyleshire | Grey. | ||
TlLLYFOURIE | Alford | Aberdeenshire . | Bluish grey | .. | Much used in London for paving and sets. |
Tom's Forest | Kintore . | Do. | Grey | .. | Very like the granite from Keninay. |
Tyrebagger | Aberdeen . | Do. | Do. . . | ... | Buildings in Aberdeen. Used in London for kerbs, paving, etc. Composed of quartz, orthoclase, oligoclase, and mica. |
Irish Granites. Bagnalstown . | Carlow | Carlow . | Dark bluish grey . | .. | Hard to work; a very serviceable building stone. |
Bally Knocken and Golden | Blessington | Wicklow . | Greyish white | 169.1 | Works freely; fit for ornamental work. Much used in Dublin; Kingstown Station. |
Grove Belleek | Belleek . | Fermanagh.. | Reddish . | .. | Used for making porcelain. |
Blessington | ... | Wicklow . | Bluish grey | ... | Scarce. |
Carnsore Point and Killiney Hill | Carnsore Point. | Wexford . | Grey | Large blocks; good quality. Kingstown Harbour; Thames Embankment; buildings in Dublin. Very scarce. | |
Castlewellan . | Castlewellan . | Down.. | . . | .. | Used for base and pedestal of Albert Memorial. |
Crossdoney | ... | Cavan.. | Do. ... | ... | Close grained; evenly crystalline. |
Dalkey | Dalkey . | Dublin . | Do. ... | 169.6 | A good stone for building, road metal and paving sets; hard to work. St. Werburgh's and St. Paul's Churches. |
Dungloe . | Dungloe . | Donegal . | Reddish . | ... | Dungloe Church. |
Furlough . | Galway . | Galway . | Do. . | ... | A porphyritic granite containing large crystals of pink orthoclase. |
Garvary Wood . | ... | Donegal . | Pi 11k and black. | ... | |
Glencore . | Enniskerry | Wicklow . | ... | National Bank of Ireland and other public buildings in Dublin. | |
Glencullen and Kilgobbin | Do. | Wicklow . | Brownish grey | ... | A good serviceable stone. |
Kingstown | Dublin . | Dublin . | Grey . | 171 | Kingstown Railway Station. Hard stone to work. |
Lough | Carlow | Carlow | Cream colour, white, yellow | .. | Fine compact texture; curiously spotted. New Church, Car-low. |
Mullaghglass . | Newry | Down.. | Grey . | .. | Difficult to work. Used in neighbourhood. |
Newry oughterard | Do. Galway . | Do. Galway . | Do. ... Bluish. | 170 | A hard Rood stone for general building purposes; very durable; one of the best granites in Ireland. Much used in North of Ireland. |
Rathfriland | Banbridge | Down | Grey | .. | Hard to work. |
Slieve Gullion . | Newry | Armagh . | Grey . . . | .. | Free working and durable. Used for millstones. |
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