Stone of Headington Headington stone is a limestone found near Oxford, England's Headington Quarry region. It was used to build many of the city's colleges and schools.
Headington stone is a fine, hard, compact limestone. The best known face has a light gray color caused by the presence of micas (minerals with the chemical formula K, Na, Mg, Ca, or Al). These minerals give the stone some degree of hardness and resistance to erosion. But they also cause Headington stone to be white rather than green or brown like most other limestones.
The Headington stone was used between 1290 and 1650. Thereafter it was replaced with chalk from the now-defunct White Horse Hill quarry, which is still visible in Headington village today. The stone is said to have been given its name because it came from a heading (i.e., pointed) hill. However, this explanation does not take into account the fact that there are several quarries around Headington where one might expect to find stone of different colors, but only white Headington stone can be found there.
Stonehenge is made up of two types of stone: sarsen sandstone for the huge framework of upright stones crowned by horizontal lintels, and a mixture of volcanic rocks and sandstones known as "bluestones" for the smaller pieces within the center area.
The sarsen stones are heavy and hard to transport, so people must have had large numbers of them to use at Stonehenge. There are only three nearby sources of sarsen stone in England: Salisbury, Wiltshire; Amesbury, Somerset; and Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The bluestones came from farther away but could have been brought from as far as Ireland or Wales. They weigh about 20 tons each and would have taken many men and horses to move.
People began using Stonehenge around 3000 B.C. and stopped about 500 A.D., probably because there was no longer any need for annual festivals when Christianity arrived in Britain. However, it took several centuries for all the sarsen stones to be moved to Salisbury Plain and erected at Stonehenge. So this ancient monument was not built overnight!
Some scientists think that Stonehenge may have been even older than 5000 years old because some of the sarsen stones show evidence of having been painted with red ochre. This ancient form of paint is still visible on some of the stones at Stonehenge today.
The Salcombe Stone, which is a soft blue-gray limestone, was used for the cathedral's construction. It can be seen in the west front and elsewhere within the building.
Exeter Cathedral is one of the largest medieval cathedrals in England. Construction on the site began in 1092 under William II Rufus, who became king that year as a result of his father Henry I's death. The first stage of the project was completed in 1136 by King Stephen, who had become ruler after defeating his rival Earl Robert of Normandy in the Battle of Crusade. The second stage was finished in 1220 by King Andrew II, and the third stage in 1686 by James Wyatt. The final cost is estimated at between $15 and 20 million in modern dollars.
The cathedral has been described as "the most perfect example of Early English Gothic architecture in Europe." It is regarded as the leading exponent of Norman architecture in Britain and the world.
Exeter Cathedral is one of only two British buildings (the other being Canterbury Cathedral) to have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status. It was placed on the list in 1987.
Sandstone Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK, is shown above. It is the second church erected on this site and the first to employ stone, namely local sandstone. This started around 1220. The abbey was destroyed by fire in 1549 but restored over the next few years. It closed in 1821 and all that remains today are the outer walls and a small part of the nave.
Whitby is a town in North Yorkshire, England, near the confluence of the River Esk and the Whitby Narrows. The population at the 2011 census was 16,924.
Whitby is known for its association with ghosts and haunted places. The town's history as a fishing community has left many buildings with stories to tell about how they came to be. Some are said to be haunted by the spirits of those who lived there before it was renovated or rebuilt, others by servants who worked in the area's many castles and other grand houses.
Whitby is also famous for its connection with witchcraft. In 1489, William Gifford was tried for practicing witchcraft after he failed to cure a young girl of epilepsy. She was found guilty by a jury of her peers and executed. That same year, his assistant John Hale was also convicted of witchcraft and died in prison.
Introduction Stonehenge was constructed in phases. A circular bank and ditch were used to create an earthwork enclosure. The stones were brought to the site and built some 500 years later; they were mostly massive sarsens from the surrounding Marlborough Downs and smaller bluestones mined in Wales. It is not known who designed or why the structure was built where it was, but it is believed that it was probably a place of worship when it was first created.
People have been interested in the stones since they were first erected around 2500 BC. At that time, nobody knew how many stones there were or their origins. In 1750, a farmer named John Aubrey found a number of stones buried in his field. He took them home and put them in his garden. Some years later, he dug them up again because they had been turned into a path; however, these are the only Stones know to have been found before they were raised at Stonehenge.
In 1695, another stone was discovered by a man ploughing near Salisbury. He took this one home too and it became known as "The Plowstone". This is now in the collection of Wiltshire Museum in Swindon. There are also reports of other stones being found around this time but none have been confirmed as authentic finds yet.
During World War II, parts of the downs around Stonehenge were used as a bombing range.
The stones are normally removed and crudely trimmed at the quarry before being transported by road or, preferable, shipped to the construction site. Some of the stone was transported from Normandy, where quarries produced Caen stone, an exceedingly beautiful pale-colored stone. Other stones were brought from all over France and beyond.
In the early 11th century, Bishop Robert of Rheims ordered the building of a new cathedral for his city. The project was so large that it required many years to complete. Work on the foundation began in 1036 and was not finished until nearly 100 years later. The tower wasn't built until 14th century. The whole structure was not completed until well after the French Revolution.
The original cathedral was made of wood which was replaced during the 12th century with stone from local quarries. The current cathedral was built between 1140 and 1220. It replaces an earlier version which had been constructed around 990. This second cathedral was also made of stone which is different from the limestone used in the first building. The current cathedral has two naves instead of one and its main entrance is through a large western window instead of a door.
During the French Revolution, most of the stained glass was destroyed. What remains today is only about 15% of the original windows.
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