>What is bathstone? I have been carving in Portland Stone for the past
>two years and found it is ideal for the kind of work that will take a
>variety of different approaches fron small to large-scale work. Is
>bathstone as durable and if so where can I find a supplier in the
>London/Essex area?
>I am also looking for a 'local' supplier for Portland Stone!
>If you can give me more info. on other similar stones for carving that
>would be most helpful too!
Bath Stone is a Jurassic oolitic shelly limestone that
is currently being extracted from 3 or 4 quarries /
mines to the east of Bath, England. It is more
honey-coloured than Portland and weathers in a quite
different way. Some variants are better weatherstones
than others and the quality of the material available on
the open market is variable. The variants with less
shell are the easier to carve, but weather less well.
There was an excellent (well, I would say that, wouldn't
I...!) article on Bath Stone and its composition in
Natural Stone Specialist earlier this year. Details of
the character of other English limestones can be found
throught the Buildings Research Establishment website
and its links. For local suppliers, look at 'The Stone
Directory' published by Herald House, Worthing.
Dr Tim Palmer C.Geol., F.G.S.
Executive Officer, The Palaeontological Association
I.G.E.S., University of Wales
Aberystwyth SY23 3DB
Wales, U.K.
Phone: +44 (0) 1970 622643
Fax: +44 (0) 1970 622659
Answerphone: +44 (0) 1970 627107
E-mail: palass "AT" palass.org
Web: www.palass.org
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