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Whether they are still operational or long abandoned, quarries are often dismissed as eyesores. Despite this, they can be fascinating to visit, and provide an interesting link to a once powerful and necessary industry. Although the Romans worked quarries, it was not until the middle-ages that the industry became established on a large scale. It then achieved its height during the nineteenth century in response to industrialization and the associated demand for stone. The book deals with the extraction methods of various types of stone and the rise and slow decline of quarrying across the UK. While telling the history of quarrying it also covers some of the most famous and notable quarrying sites.
A history of Stone
"A wide survey over four millennia is possible for quarrying tools and techniques because of their simplicity and long-lived traditions. The chief contribution of the Romans was their organisation of the stone trade by mass production, standardisation and long-distance transport. Indeed, in post-Roman Europe, especially in Britain, it was the excellence of Roman building stone which allowed so much subsequent 'quarrying' in the buildings themselves. One exception in Saxon times was the quarry for Bradford-on-Avon's church. With the 12th-century spurt in church building activity, however, natural stone quarries once more became common and distribution methods familiar to the Roman world re-emerged." - COPAC.
Quarrying is one of the oldest industries known to man, as, from early times, people have been making items from stone. However, the quarrying industry is only briefly mentioned in most archaeological and historical records, with some books only giving a passing account of this activity. This book alters this and provides an in-depth analysis of this important industry, not only with regards to Shropshire, but the whole country. Many structures in Shropshire and various parts of the country are constructed from stone quarried from this large county. This book shows that quarries are not just holes or scars on the landscape, highlighting the machinery used in extracting and processing the quarried minerals.
The story of how stone was won is an important part of our disappearing heritage: this book explores the rich legacy of quarrying across Cumbria.
Spon's Quarry Guide provides complete and up-to-date information on all of Britain's hard rock quarrying industry. For over 700 quarries it gives full address, OS Map Number and grid reference, telephone and contact names. Rock type, colour, grain and products are listed. The Guide also gives, for the first time in any publication, the plant and equipment used at each quarry used for drilling, secondary breaking, load and haul and crushing.
An important study not only of the geological structure of Egypt and the mineral composition of its rocks, but also of ancient Egyptian stone quarries. Illustrated with almost 500 photographs and diagrams, microscopic sections and electronic scans, as well as colour photographs of all the types of stone discussed, the detailed descriptions of the quarries and numerous examples of quarrying and masonry techniques make this book an indispensable tool for the provenancing of museum exhibits. Originally published in German in 1993, this edition has been updated to take account of new research, and a new chapter on the building stones of the western oases has been added. Archaeologists, Egyptologists and travellers to Egypt will find a wealth of fascinating information on ancient quarry sites, working methods and transport in ancient Egypt, as well as an introduction to the geology of the Nile valley and the surrounding desert regions.
The control over marble and metal resources was of major importance to the Roman Empire. The emperor's freedmen and slaves, officers and soldiers of the Roman army, equestrian officials, as well as convicts and free labour were seconded to mines and quarries throughout Rome's vast realm. Alfred Hirt's comprehensive study defines the organizational outlines and the internal structures of the mining and quarrying ventures under imperial control. The themes addressed include: challenges faced by those in charge of these extractive operations; the key figures, their subaltern personnel and their respective responsibilities; the role of the Roman army; the use of civilian partners in quarrying or mining ventures; and the position of the quarrying or mining organizations within the framework of the imperial administration.