There are some aspects of my job that I love. Visiting old quarries is one of them. When I look at the hundreds of thousands of tons of uncut stone, I am pleasantly overwhelmed with the sheer potential locked away inside it.
The stone in this one is officially declared 'extinct', meaning that the great pile of rocks you can see lying at the bottom of the cliff is all that is left of this particular variety, and what makes it even more exciting is that I have just bought one of them - the smallest. It is very distinct and very good quality. In the greater scheme of things, that is a tiny pile - it is the only pile in a very large world.
Of course, there is plenty of it left it the hill - indeed the whole hill is made of it, but the whole hill was designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty years ago, so they are no longer allowed to touch it. End of quarry. What you see is the very last blocks of that stone in the world which can legally be sold.
The quarry itself is about 2 miles away from where Laurie Lee was brought up and the area of his childhood is described wonderfully in 'Cider with Rosie'. We still remember those villagers of 100 years ago as if we knew them at the time.
Stone which is left untouched in the place where it was formed millions of years ago is called 'living stone'.
I feel as though I am on the end of a very long traditional line.
What are your plans for the small piece of stone that you've acquired?!
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be a memorial for a much loved horse - and dog.
DeleteSmall though it is, it still weighs half a ton.
DeleteYou live in the right part of the country for it.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in the North with only granite or sandstone to choose from, I do not think I would be doing this now. I love the wooden and cob buildings of the East, or wood and brick. So cozy and warm. I envy your 2 foot thick walls with thatch.
DeleteWhat made you choose that particular stone this time ? I am guessing certain stone suits particular jobs ? XXXX
ReplyDeleteYes, certain stone for certain jobs, but this has a romance all of its own by being so rare. This stone was very well known one or two hundred years ago, but now it has been all but forgotten. I have restored many fire surrounds made of it, and the whole village was made from it over 400 years ago.
DeleteYou’re a hard man
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite books.
ReplyDeleteMine too Weave.
DeleteWhat distinction called you to the stone you selected?
ReplyDeleteIt is good for the job, quite close to where I live and has the added romance of being officially unobtainable.
DeleteYour new stone looks fantastic and seems like a very good purchase. Moving it to your workshop will be a big job.
ReplyDeleteAnything that you cannot physically pick up yourself means that you save your energy by getting machines to do it for you.
DeleteYour love for the stone you work with is very much apparent here, Tom. I look forward to seeing the block and then, eventually the memorial which waits in it for you to release.
ReplyDeleteIt is a love/hate relationship. Ask anyone who has spent a lifetime inflicting violence on it in the sure knowledge that losing the fight is not an option.
DeleteYou are a man of stone..of love for the material.
ReplyDeleteSee above comment to Avus.
Delete