The Strategic Stone Study is led by Historic England  working with the British Geological Survey and local geologists and historic buildings experts from each of 35 counties in England.

 

Stone is the major building material in many of the half-a-million listed buildings and 9,500 conservation areas in England.  If the character of these buildings and areas is to be maintained, supplies of new matching stone are needed for repair and for new construction.

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County based Building Stone Atlases are being produced that identify the most significant building stones used in the past, where they came from and potential alternative sources.

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In 2016 Geckoella Ltd with PCA were commissioned to develop Atlases for 9 counties by 2019. We have completed atlases for Hampshire, the Isle of White, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and  Surrey to date.

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The building stones used historically in each county have been identified for a representative range of historic structures, from castles and cathedrals to houses and cottages, boundary walls, roofs, bridges, to kerbs and paving using a combination of fieldwork, historic records, photographs and maps.

 

The most significant building stones in each county have been established and, where possible, the original source of stone for a particular building or settlement has been identified.

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The Department of Communities and Local Government National Planning Policy Framework (2012) recommends that local authorities safeguard important sources of building stone. 

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The location of all quarries that produced these stones has been mapped by BGS, so that potential sources for conservation and new build can be recognised and safeguarded.

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The atlases and buillding stones quarries database are available on-line at: 

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http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/buildingStones/StrategicStoneStudy/EH_atlases.html

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