Doulting Stone Quarry
Encyclopedia
Doulting Stone Quarry is a limestone
quarry
at Doulting
, on the Mendip Hills
, Somerset
, England
.
At Present there are only three quarries in the country quarrying Doulting stone. The Largest has been producing stone since Roman
times.
Until 1994 it was operated by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation
(now part of Hanson plc
) but was then bought out as a stand alone business. Ham & Doulting Stone Co Ltd own the east quarry which was originally in use for centuries after which followed a period of inactivity. It was reopened 12 years ago.
The stone quarried at Doulting is a 2 m (6.6 ft) thick layer of Oolite
of middle Jurassic
age, deposited as sediments in fairly shallow coastal seas.
The stone is used for building purposes, including Glastonbury Abbey
and the west façade of Wells Cathedral
.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
at Doulting
Doulting
Doulting is a village and civil parish east of Shepton Mallet, on the A361, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.-History:The parish of Doulting was part of the Whitstone Hundred....
, on the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
At Present there are only three quarries in the country quarrying Doulting stone. The Largest has been producing stone since Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times.
Until 1994 it was operated by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation
Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation
Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation was a British stone quarrying company.- History :Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation Ltd. was formed on 23 April 1935 to acquire a number of quarries in Britain. In 1947 ARC acquired the majority of the shares of the British Quarrying Co Ltd and its associated...
(now part of Hanson plc
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
) but was then bought out as a stand alone business. Ham & Doulting Stone Co Ltd own the east quarry which was originally in use for centuries after which followed a period of inactivity. It was reopened 12 years ago.
The stone quarried at Doulting is a 2 m (6.6 ft) thick layer of Oolite
Oolite
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...
of middle Jurassic
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age are called the Dogger....
age, deposited as sediments in fairly shallow coastal seas.
The stone is used for building purposes, including Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
and the west façade of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
.