Galleries in Westphalian A (Lower Coal Measures) sandstone, Hown's Quarry, Consett, Durham.

BGS image ID: P222553

Galleries in Westphalian A (Lower Coal Measures) sandstone, Hown's Quarry, Consett, Durham. Looking North. 
The upper part of the sandstone was quarried in galleries when the overburden became too great. Much of the housing in Consett was built out of this stone. The quarries have been disused since the turn of the century. The sandstone is below the horizon of the Victoria Coal. Sandstone for use as a building stone, as a roofing stone, and also to a lesser extent as an aggregate, was formerly quarried widely throughout the district. Working was always on a relatively small scale, and reserves in general have hardly been touched. The many beds that have been worked for good stone in Durham include some of the sandstones in the higher part of the Stainmore Group and the lower part of the Lower Coal Measures, and higher in the sequence the Durham Low Main, High Main, Seventy Fathom and Grindstone posts of the Middle Coal Measures. Hown's Gill is regarded as one of the larger sandstone quarries in Durham

Date taken: 14/06/1977
Original BGS Photograph number L01750 (Leeds Office Series)

Bob McIntosh

Stoop and room, Middleton Quarry and Mine, Gorebridge. Midlothian.

BGS image ID: P000178

Middleton Quarry and Mine, Gorebridge. Midlothian.

Stoop and room (pillar and stall) is an old method of mining where the material, in this case limestone is extracted leaving pillars of limestone in place to support the roof.

Interior view of the mine illustrating the method of extraction. A figure in the centre of the image illustrates the scale. Mining the North Greens (No. 2) Limestone. The thickness of the seam is 50 ft. though only the lower 20 ft. is in massive beds and suitable for mining. Chemical analysis shows it is 94.09% calcium carbonate and is of uniform high quality. The limestone was burnt in vertical, continuous mixed-feed kilns to produce lime for both agriculture and building purposes. Ground limestone was also produced. The rocks are of the Lower Limestone Group of the Carboniferous period. The quarry is now disused.

Date of image: 1945.

Bob McIntosh