I am off on a working trip to Dorset tomorrow. The only stone I can think of anywhere near me which will suit two separate jobs comes from Dorset.
Ralph Allen did a good job in selling the notion of Bath stone as a general, all-round building and carving material way back in the 18th century. The reality is - and I will let you into a little secret here - it is not very good...
Depending on which quarry you get it from (these days there are only about 5 to choose from) it is too soft, too shelly, too coarse, too full of crystal veining, too faulty and too inconsistent.
All the good stone was mined-out years ago and the stuff being used right now has a life of about 100 years in all weathers even as block. I would not dream of using it for detailed carving. The detail would just fall off after the first or second frost.
So I am giving up on Ralph Allen and returning to the tried and tested stone that Christopher Wren marketed in London 300 years ago - Portland.
Every day I look out of the window and am reminded of the differences between Portland and Bath. Portland Victoria has been standing in a sea of good quality Bath stone since 1901, when she was 'erected in loyalty and love by the Women of Bath' (it says here).
Look at the detail of her heavy brocade dress. If the Italian man who made her had tried to do that in - even good quality - Bath stone, she would be an amorphous and unrecognisable lump rather than the imperious Queen we all remember thanks to the other national treasure, Judi Dench.
What a delightful post Tom.Only you could make stone interesting to me. Sorry folks but not my scene)
ReplyDeleteIf it's boring for you Weave, just imagine what it's like for me.
DeleteA nice little jaunt out. Will you be pulling a trailer for the stone?
ReplyDeleteNo, I am just going to select. I may pick it up myself with a truck or I may get it delivered. Pulling weights with an automatic gearbox is not good in my experience.
DeleteFantastic details.
ReplyDeleteYes, working in stone is , like ceramics. Applied Geology!
But not as plastic.
DeleteAs a highly skilled individual, only you would know the positive and negative attributes of stone. People are lucky to work with you.
ReplyDeletePeople consider themselves lucky not to work with me.
DeleteHow familiar we can become with the idiosyncrasies of the stuff of our trade. Others can be fascinated by our occasional bon mots, and we still know why that statue of Victoria is not an amorphous lump, and her lovely gown could not have been constructed without drawing a thread for the straight of goods.
ReplyDeleteYes, you would know about her gown.
DeleteYou may denigrate yourself Tom but you obviously have a craftsman's knowledge and love of your subject. I hope the trip to Portland brings good results for a decent quality stone.
ReplyDeleteTo a lesser extent it was the same in blacksmithy. Most non-professional smiths work with mild steel these days. I can remember going out with my then boss to search for old stuff made with wrought iron, which he would buy in to save for special jobs like this one: https://little-corner-of-the-earth.blogspot.com/2010/03/pilgrimage.html
I love proper old wrought iron. There are some iron clamps set into the stonework of a canal parapet bridge here, and they have not rusted in the slightest. Instead, they have acquired the patina of a polished conker. Are/were you a blacksmith?
DeleteI "did my time", serving the anvil for 5+ years, with a traditional blacksmith, who became my father in law along the way, as described in the above link.
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