The Natural Stone Quarry: from Ancient History to Modern Times
At Stamford Stone, we’re proud to be modern day guardians of the centuries-old tradition of working natural stone quarries. Here, we take a look back at the history of the natural stone quarry through the ages.
Operating a natural stone quarry comes with important responsibilities, especially to the natural environment and the local community. The team at Stamford Stone are 100% dedicated to minimising the negative impacts of quarrying. More about that later – first of all, here’s a look at the history of natural stone quarrying in the UK.
What’s the difference between a quarry and a mine?
The main purpose of both is to extract rock, aggregates, minerals – or a mixture of all three – from the ground.
The key difference is that mining takes place underground, using shafts or tunnels. Quarrying takes place on the surface. For this reason, in the past, a natural stone quarry was sometimes referred to as an ‘open-pit’, or ‘open-cast’ mine.
The Stone Age – back to the very beginning…
The earliest evidence of stone quarrying in the UK dates back to around 4000BC, during the Early Neolithic period. This era was handily also known as ‘The Stone Age’!
Stone and flint were extracted from the ground and crudely fashioned by hand into tools and weapons. They were mainly used for hunting and domestic purposes. Axe quarries were located in north and west of England. Flint mines were mainly in the east and south.
This use of stone continued right through to the Bronze Age (c.2400BC). This is when tin and copper took over as the preferred material for weapons and domestic tools.
Sourcing stone for Stonehenge
Probably the most famous stone monument in the world, Stonehenge was built in the Late Neolithic period, around 2500BC.
The largest sandstone blocks (each weighing around 25 tonnes) came from a natural stone quarry around 20 miles away. Transporting them even that relatively short distance would have been a tremendous feat of ingenuity (and strength!)
Smaller bluestones (2-3 tonnes each), also used in the construction, came from much further afield. They are allegedly from natural stone quarries nearly 150 miles away in what is now Wales.
Here come the Romans!
One of the main drivers for the Roman invasion of Britain around 43AD was the promise of rich mineral and natural resources. There was so much to exploit, they ended up staying here for nearly 400 years!
They were clearly interested in minerals like copper, tin, silver and gold, which could be easily exported across the Roman Empire. But the Romans also took full advantage of Britain’s rich stone reserves.
They quarried stone for the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, and their famously straight roads built throughout England & Wales. In fact, Clipsham stone from a natural stone quarry on the Lincolnshire Limestone Belt was used as the foundation for parts of the Great North Road, which passed through the area.
Quarrying and mining in the UK today
According to the British Geological Survey, there are around 2,000 active quarries and mines in the UK today. Whilst they share the same ultimate purpose with quarrying and mining in ancient times, that’s where the similarity ends.
Two key differences from days gone by are the methods used to extract the natural
Changes in working methods
In the earliest natural stone quarries, workers used just simple manual tools – chisels, hammers and picks – and vast amounts of brute force to drag the stones out of the quarry. Today, much of the hard work is done by a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment – blasting, drilling and cutting the stone before transporting it away to where it’s needed. From this, we can create and shape stone in many different ways, including block stone.
Responsibility and stewardship
Natural stone quarries have always had an effect on the natural
Find out more about the Stamford Stone charter, and our sustainability and restoration plans.