Ancaster stone
Encyclopedia
Ancaster stone is Middle Jurassic
oolitic limestone
, quarried around Ancaster, Lincolnshire
, England
. There are three forms of this limestone, Weather Bed, Hard White and Freestone. Ancaser stone is a generic term for these forms of limestone found at quarries in the vicinity of the village of Ancaster including Gregory's Quarry (SK992409), 2½ kilometres south of Ancaster.
As well as being used for the church at Ancaster and a number of village buildings, there have also been many great works of architecture constructed from Ancaster stone including; Harlaxton Manor, Norwich cathedral and St Johns College Cambridge. Ancaster stone may be seen in a modern building, in use as a facing and flooring stone, at The Collection
in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
. Stapleford Park
is a more traditional building constructed from it. Under certain lighting conditions the stone in its unpolished state can exhibit a greenish blue hue.
It has also been used for sculptures by Barbara Hepworth
and Henry Moore.
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....
oolitic limestone
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...
, quarried around Ancaster, Lincolnshire
Ancaster, Lincolnshire
Ancaster is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the site of the Roman town of "Causennae"Ancaster Hall at The University of Nottingham is named after the parish and the, now extinct, title of the Earl of Ancaster....
, 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...
. There are three forms of this limestone, Weather Bed, Hard White and Freestone. Ancaser stone is a generic term for these forms of limestone found at quarries in the vicinity of the village of Ancaster including Gregory's Quarry (SK992409), 2½ kilometres south of Ancaster.
As well as being used for the church at Ancaster and a number of village buildings, there have also been many great works of architecture constructed from Ancaster stone including; Harlaxton Manor, Norwich cathedral and St Johns College Cambridge. Ancaster stone may be seen in a modern building, in use as a facing and flooring stone, at The Collection
The Collection (Lincolnshire)
The Collection is the county museum and gallery for Lincolnshire in England. It is an amalgamation of the Usher Gallery and the City and County Museum in such a way that they can work more effectively together than hitherto...
in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
. Stapleford Park
Stapleford Park
Stapleford Park is a Grade I listed country house in Stapleford near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England, now used as a hotel. It was originally the seat of the Sherard family, later the Earls of Harborough and from 1894, of Baron Gretton....
is a more traditional building constructed from it. Under certain lighting conditions the stone in its unpolished state can exhibit a greenish blue hue.
It has also been used for sculptures by Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
and Henry Moore.
Further reading
- Kent, P. British Regional Geology Eastern England 2nd edn. (1980) ISBN 0-11-884121-1