Great Pulteney Street, Bath, looking West towards Pulteney Bridge. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Pulteney Bridge is a Bridge that crosses the River Avon, in Bath, England and completed in 1773. The style and Bath stone used are typical of much of the city. Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of Calcium carbonate.

Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Oolite ( egg stone) is a Sedimentary rock formed from Ooids spherical grains composed of concentric layers Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance. Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines ( is a 622 hectare (1537 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI in Bath and North East Somerset Combe Down ( is a village suburb of Bath in the English county of Somerset, within the Bath and North East Somerset Council area Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An important feature of Bath Stone is that it is a freestone, that is one that can be sawn or 'squared up' in any direction, unlike other rocks such as slate which forms distinct layers. Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay

Bath Stone has been used extensively as a building material throughout southern England for churches, houses and public buildings such as railway stations.

Some of the quarries from which the stone was taken ae still in use, however the majority have been converted to other purposes or are being filled in.

Geological formation

During the Jurassic Period (195 to 135 million years ago) the region that is now Bath was under a shallow sea. The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning Layers of Marine sediment built and individual spherical grains were coated with lime as they rolled around the sea bed forming the Bathonian Series of rocks. Lime is a general term for various naturally occurring Minerals and materials derived from them in which Carbonates Oxides and Hydroxides of Bathonian Series refers to a series of rock strata dating from the Bathonian epoch of the Middle Jurassic. Under the microscope, these grains or oolites (egg stone) are sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. Oolite ( egg stone) is a Sedimentary rock formed from Ooids spherical grains composed of concentric layers Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Ooids are small ( Sedimentary grains usually composed of Calcium carbonate, but sometimes made up of Iron The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0. 25–2 mm: rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites. In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere A pisolite is a Sedimentary rock formed from pisoliths. These are concretions - often of calcium carbonate but commonly in rarer minerals - which resemble Ooids They frequently contain minute fragments of shell or rock and sometimes even decayed skeletons of marine life.

Use as a building stone

Ralph Allen promoted its use in Bath in the early 18th century, including his own mansion at Prior Park, but it was used long before then. Ralph Allen (1693 - June 29, 1764) was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on July 24, 1693. For the nearby Catholic Independent School adjoining the Prior Park Landscape Garden see Prior Park College; for its prep school see Prior Park Preparatory School Example include religious, residential and industrial buildings. The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, which was founded in 1738 was designed by John Wood the Elder was built with Bath stone donated by Ralph Allen. The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Trust is a small specialist Trust in the centre of Bath. Year 1738 ( MDCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or John Wood ( 1704 - May 23, 1754, Bath) also named Wood of Bath, was an English Architect. It is a Grade II listed building. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance ^[1] There is a fine pediment, in Bath stone, on the building depicting the parable of the good Samaritan. A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure ( Entablature) typically supported by

St Stephens church situated on Lansdown Hill in Bath was constructed from a limestone sourced from the Limpley Stoke mine which is situated in the Limpley Stoke Valley. St Stephen's Church is a church in Bath Somerset. Designed to serve the spiritual needs of northeast Bath by James Wilson and built between 1840-1845 from Limpley Stoke is a medium-sized village in West Wiltshire, below the A36 road in the Avon Valley between Bath and Freshford. It has recently been restored by Minerva stone conservation, a stonemasonry company specialising in the conservation of historic Bathstone. ^[2]

Arno's Court Triumphal Arch

The material has also been used widely outside of Bath itself. Arno's Court Triumphal Arch ( is in Junction Rd Brislington, Bristol, England. Claverton Pumping Station at Claverton which was built of Bath Stone around 1810, pumps water from the River Avon to the Kennet and Avon Canal using power from the flow of the River Avon. Claverton Pumping Station is a Pumping station, located in the village of Claverton in the English county of Somerset, which pumps water from Claverton is a small village situated approximately to the east of Bath at the southern end of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in The River Avon is a River in the south west of England. Because of a number of other River Avons in England this river is often also known as the Lower The Kennet and Avon Canal is a Canal in southern England The name may refer to either the route of the original Kennet and Avon Canal Company, which linked the ^[3] The stone was also used for the Dundas Aqueduct, which is 150 yards (137. Dundas Aqueduct ( carries the Kennet and Avon Canal over the River Avon and the Wessex Main Line railway from Bath to Westbury 2 m) long with three arches built of Bath Stone, with Doric pilasters, and balustrades at each end. The Doric order was one of the three '''orders''' or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or Classical architecture; the other two Canonical ^[4]

Much of Bristol Cathedral was built of Bath Stone and the Wills Tower, which is the dominant feature of the Wills Memorial Building, is reinforced concrete faced with Bath and Clipsham stone. The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Anglican Cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known The Wills Memorial Building also known as the Wills Memorial Tower or simply the Wills Tower is a Gothic building situated near the top of Park Street on Reinforced concrete is Concrete in which reinforcement bars (" Rebars quot or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be ^[5] Bristol's Cabot Tower was also faced with Bath Stone. This article is about the Cabot Tower in Bristol England For the tower of the same name in Newfoundland Canada see Cabot Tower (Newfoundland Cabot Arno's Court Triumphal Arch was built from Bath stone around 1760 and later dismantled before being moved to its current location and rebuilt. Arno's Court Triumphal Arch ( is in Junction Rd Brislington, Bristol, England.

Bath Stone was also favoured by architect Hans Price who designed much of 19th century Weston-super-Mare. Hans Price (1835 - 1912 was the Architect responsible for much of the development of Weston-super-Mare, in North Somerset, England, during the Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England.

In London the neo-classical Georgian mansion Lancaster House was built from Bath Stone in 1825 for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Georgian architecture is the name given in most English -speaking countries to the set of Architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840 Lancaster House is a Mansion in the St James's district in the West End of London. Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Prince Frederick Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was a member of the Hanoverian George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places The brick of Apsley House was fronted with Bath Stone, and several churches including Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury were built from the material. Apsley House, also known as Number One London, was the London residence of the Dukes of Wellington and stands alone at Hyde Park Corner The Church of Christ the King is an Anglican Church situated on Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London, beside the Dr Williams's

In Barnstable the 1855 construction of Butchers Row used Bath Stone.

Tyntesfield

In Reading the original building Royal Berkshire Hospital of 1839, together with the wings added in the 1860s, are now listed grade II* by English Heritage. Tyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England, in the Vale of Nailsea, seven miles from The Royal Berkshire Hospital is a National Health Service Hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of They are built of Bath Stone with slate roofs, and the main building comprises 2 storeys and a basement. Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay The frontage has 11 bays, with the central 7 bays forming a projecting pedimented hexastyle portico with Ionic columns. A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure ( Entablature) typically supported by A portico is a Porch that is leading to the entrance of a building or extended as a Colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway supported by Columns The Ionic order column forms one of the three '''orders''' or '''organizational systems''' of Classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the ^[6] In 1860 the nearby Reading railway station building, in Bath Stone and incorporating a tower and clock, was constructed for the Great Western Railway, who also used it for Chippenham railway station. Reading railway station (formerly Reading General) is a major rail transport hub in Reading. Chippenham railway station is the railway station serving Chippenham in Wiltshire.

Other mansions which have used Bath Stone include: Gatcombe Park, Goldney Hall, Tyntesfield, South Hill Park, Spetchley Park. Gatcombe Park is the private country home of Anne Princess Royal, situated in England between the Gloucestershire villages of Minchinhampton Goldney Hall also known as Goldney House is a self-catered hall of residence in Clifton Bristol, one of three in the area providing accommodation Tyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England, in the Vale of Nailsea, seven miles from This is an article about an arts centre in Berkshire For the London street and murder scene of the the same name see South Hill Park South Hill Park is a 24 Spetchley Park near Worcester, England, has belonged to the Berkeley family, who also own Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire since it was built

In 2002 the East End of Truro Cathedral was completely renovated and restored with some of the ornate Bath stone replaced with harder wearing Syerford stone. The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary Truro is an Anglican Cathedral located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, in England In 2005 the West Front was restored similarly. Both projects were supervised by MRDA Architects of London, the Cathedral architects.

Quarries

Bath Stone was mined underground at Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines, in Somerset; and as a result of cutting the Box Tunnel, at various locations in Wiltshire, including Box and Corsham. Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines ( is a 622 hectare (1537 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI in Bath and North East Somerset Box Tunnel is a railway Tunnel in western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through the Box Hill. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye Box is a Village located in Wiltshire, England, about 8 km (5 miles east of Bath and 11 km (7 miles west of Chippenham. Corsham is a small medieval town in northwest Wiltshire, England. ^[7]

Underground extraction of Bath Stone continues in the Corsham area but on a smaller scale than previously. Corsham is a small medieval town in northwest Wiltshire, England. For example, Hanson plc operates Hartham Park Quarry in the Hudswell district (southwest of Pickwick). Hanson plc (formerly Hanson Trust plc) is a British based international building materials company headquartered in London. Other quarries have been re-used. Current examples include primarily defence establishments, but also a wine cellar at Eastlays (near Gastard)^[8] and storage for magnetic media (for Off-site Data Protection) at Monk's Park (near Neston). A wine cellar is a storage room for Wine in Bottles or Barrels, or more rarely in Carboys Amphorae or plastic containers Magnetic storage and magnetic recording are terms from Engineering referring to the storage of Data on a Magnetized medium In Computing, off-site data protection, or vaulting, is the strategy of sending critical data out of the main location ( off the main site) as ^[9]

Non-quarrying re-use of quarries

During the 1930s there was a recognition of a need to provide secure storage for munitions in the south of the United Kingdom, a large area of the quarries around the Corsham area was renovated by the Royal Engineers as one of three major munitions stockpiles. The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps This ammunition depot was serviced by a spur railway line from the main London to Bristol line, breaking away just outside the eastern entrance to Box Tunnel. Box Tunnel is a railway Tunnel in western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through the Box Hill. A portion of the underground quarry complex was developed as an aircraft engine factory, to act as a fallback should the Bristol Engine company Factory at Filton should be taken out of action by hostile bombing. The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally British and Colonial Aeroplane Company was a major British aviation company Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about 4 In practice this factory was never used. Another area of the quarry Royal Air Force Box was established as the Headquarters of No10 Fighter Group, Royal Air Force. No 10 Group of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 in No RAF Box was later renamed RAF Rudloe Manor and expanded to encompass a number of communications functions including No1 Signal Unit, Controller Defence Communications Network, No1001 Signal Unit Detachment and Headquarters RAF Provost & Security Service. RAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box was a Royal Air Force station located south-east of Bath, United Kingdom between the towns of Box and No1SU and CDCN were both housed in bunkers within the quarry complex, which also included an RAF Regional Command Centre for the South West of England. Corsham Computer Centre was built into Hudswell Quarry during the 1980s. Corsham Computer Centre ( CCC) is an underground British Ministry of Defence installation in Corsham, Wiltshire, built in the 1980s

British defence doctrine during the early Cold War period indicated a requirement for a fallback location for central government outside London, to assume national control in the event of London being destroyed. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Central Government War Headquarters is a 35-acre complex built underground as the United Kingdom 's Emergency Government War Headquarters - the hub of the country's alternative London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The quarry complex at Corsham was chosen for this location and development of the site commenced in the 1950s. In the event of imminent nuclear attack, it was assumed that the government would be evacuated from London by rail or helicopter. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. The facility would provide a safe haven for the Prime Minister, the Cabinet), commanders of the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and British Army and supporting civil servants and military personnel. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis Facilities inside the complex included accommodation and catering for nearly 4,000 people, including a hospital, organic electrical generation and the ability to seal the complex from the outside environment, contaminated by radiation or other threat. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Radiation, as in Physics, is Energy in the form of waves or moving Subatomic particles emitted by an atom or other body as it changes from a higher energy

The defence facilities known as Hawthorn and various code name including; Stockwell, Turnstile and Burlington have been built in quarries include Military Command & Control, storage and a fallback seat of national government. Hawthorn is the location of a number of defence related underground facilities in the vicinity of Corsham, Wiltshire. Some areas of the quarry complex were hardened and provided with support measures to ensure resilience in the event of a nuclear attack. A military bunker is a hardened shelter often buried partly or fully underground designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks The site was decommissioned and placed in a state of care & maintenance in the mid 1990s following the fragmentation of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The site has been offered for sale, conditional on a Private Finance Initiative for the continued use of above ground facilities. The Private Finance Initiative specifies a method developed initially by the United Kingdom Government, to provide financial support for " Public-Private ^[10][11]

Box Mine

The ""Cathedral"" at Box Mine

The Box Mine consists of a network of tunnels, which originate from stone mining work, initially started during the Roman occupation of Britain. Box Mine ( is a 566 Hectare Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, near the village of Box in Wiltshire, notified in 1991 Box Mine ( is a 566 Hectare Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, near the village of Box in Wiltshire, notified in 1991 Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 The mine has now been takern over by bats. Up to 10% of the total British population of greater horseshoe bat uses the mine at times; a maximum of 230 individuals of this species have been counted at the site. The Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a European Bat of the Rhinolophus genus Lesser Horseshoe Bat also uses the mine, as do the four Myotis species - Whiskered, Brandt's, Natterer's and Daubenton's bats. The Lesser Horseshoe Bat ( Rhinolophus hipposideros) is a type of European Bat related to but smaller than its cousin the Greater Horseshoe Bat The whiskered bats Myotis mystacinus and related species are small European Bats with long Fur. Natterer's bat ( Myotis nattereri) is a European Bat with pale Wings It has brown fur also seen on the leg wing membrane tending to white Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian Bat with quite short ears

Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines

Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines date from the 17th and 18th century when stone was extracted by the "room and pillar" method, by which chambers were mined, leaving pillars of stone between them to support the roof. Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines ( is a 622 hectare (1537 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI in Bath and North East Somerset ^[12] The mine contains a range of mine features including well preserved tramways, cart-roads and crane bases. This article refers to light railways for moving goods for other uses see Tramway Tramways are lightly laid Railways sometimes The walls and pillars of the mine are studded with pick and tool marks and show evidence of the use of huge stone saws, all of which bear testimony to the variety of techniques used to extract the stone over the mine's three hundred year history. A pickaxe is a Hand tool with a hard head attached Perpendicular to the handle ^[13] No mine abandonment plans of - either the tunnels or the caverns, known as voids - were made prior to the 1872 Mining Act. ^[12]

Following their closure were used for a variety of purposes, including a mushroom farm and as an Air-raid shelter during the World War II Baedeker raids on Bath. A mushroom is the fleshy Spore -bearing Fruiting body of a Fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source For the general article about fortified structures see Bunker. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including TemplateLocation_map_many/doc -->The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe ("retaliatory raids" by the ^[13] During 1989 a utilities contractor unexpectedly broke through into part of the mines complex whilst excavating a trench, which raised concerns locally which resulted in the then Bath City Council commissioning studies to survey the condition of the mines. It was clear that the mines were in a very unstable state and some experts considered them to be the largest shallowest and most unstable of their kind in Europe. ^[14] Approximately 80% of the mines, which are up to 9 metres (30 ft) high and cover a total area of about 18 hectares (180,000 m²), had less than 6 metres (20 ft) cover and as little as 2 metres (7 ft) in some places. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, M^2 redirects here For other uses see M². CM2 redirects here ^[15]

In March 1999, the then Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR), now known as the Department for Communities and Local Government, announced a Land Stabilisation Programme, based on the Derelict Land Act 1982. The Secretary of State for the Environment Transport and the Regions was a UK Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department for Environment The Department for Communities and Local Government (branded as Communities and Local Government) is the United Kingdom government department for communities A Parliamentary Statutory Instrument (2002 No. In Law, a Statutory Instrument is a form of delegated or Secondary legislation. 2053) was needed before the work could be undertaken. ^[16] Foamed concrete has been selected as the solution for the large scale infilling of the old mine works. Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag It is planned that over 400,000 cubic metres (523,180 cu yd) of foamed concrete will be placed in the shallow underground mines, making it the single largest application of foamed concrete on a project in the United Kingdom. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. A cubic yard is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States, Canada and

References