Doulting Stone Quarry

Inferior Oolite stone being quarried at Doulting

Doulting Stone Quarry (grid reference ST648436) is a limestone quarry at Doulting, on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England.

At present there are only three quarries quarrying Doulting stone. The largest, The Doulting Stone Quarry, was producing building stone in Roman times.[1] In the 20th century it was operated by the Keevil family.[2] Until 1994 it was operated by Amalgamated Roadstone Corporation (now part of Hanson plc) but was then bought out as a stand-alone business.[3] 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.[4] The quarry also offers primary and secondary cutting and profiling.[5][6]

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.[7] The stone is unusual as it shows unconformity at the division between the oolite and Carboniferous limestone beneath, representing two types of rocks laid down millions of years apart, the intervening sediments having been eroded away before the Jurassic strata were laid down.[8] It has a high level of water absorption and porosity.[9]

The stone is used for building purposes, including Glastonbury Abbey and the west façade of Wells Cathedral,[3][10] and other structures in the cathedral close, such as the fortified gate called The Bishop's Eye.

  1. ^ "Doulting Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). Mendip District Council. August 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  2. ^ "Doulting Quarry". Christina White Photography. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Quarry History". Doulting Stone Quarry. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Quarry History". Doulting Quarry. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Doulting Stone Quarry". Stone Specialist. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Doulting Stone Quarry". External Works Index. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Geology". Doulting Stone Quarry. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  8. ^ Haslett, Simon K. (2010). Somerset Landscapes: Geology and landforms. Usk: Blackbarn Books. pp. 86–91. ISBN 9781456416317.
  9. ^ "Technical Data Sheet Doulting Stone". BRE. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Strategic Stone Study: A Building Stone Atlas of Somerset and Exmoor" (PDF). English Heritage. p. 16. Retrieved 11 October 2011.