Granite dressing sheds at De Lank quarries, St. Breward, Cornwall

BGS image ID: P000510

Granite dressing sheds at De Lank quarries, St. Breward, Cornwall. Looking west-north-west.
The De Lank quarries work the coarse-grained, grey granites of Bodmin Moor. The extensive range of granite products on display in the De Lank dressing sheds is a tribute to the skills of the masons who originally worked this hard intractable stone with only limited hand tools. Since the 15th century granite has been used in buildings as hewn blocks and cut into ashlar. Also, up to about 1800, granite was taken from the vast amounts of surface debris. More recently there was demand for building blocks of ground 'reconstituted' granite where planning regulations demanded the use of stone. The De Lank Quarries near Bodmin produced a light grey granite. Large blocks were obtained from the quarries because of the regular jointing. The Eddystone, Beachy Head and Small Rock lighthouses are among many buildings constructed from De Lank granite.

Old BGS photograph number A00517

Date of image: 1907

Bob McIntosh