Stone in Archaeology Database


Bath Stone - Combe Down

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Local Name(s): Bath Stone - Combe Down. Example of Bath Stone - Combe Down
Stone Group: Sedimentary
Stone Type: Limestone
Geology:
Era:   Mesozoic
Period:   Jurassic
Epoch:   Middle
Geological Sub-Divisons:

Lowest part of the Great Oolite Series.

General Colour Description:

Cream/buff coloured stone. Soft and warm yellow in colour when freshly quarried, it will harden and turn whiter in colour when exposed to the atmosphere (Watson 1911: 176).

Hand Specimen Description:

A medium grained, moderately well sorted, hard, occasionally shelly, oolitic limestone with characteristic veins of calcite running perpendicular to the bedding. Small iron stains may also be present.

General Comments:

Bath Stone of unspecified type was used by the Romans for baths, buildings, villas, memorial stones and sculptures. There were probably Roman quarries at Combe Down and an early inscription to an official suggests imperial interest at the time of Caracalla. Little quarrying occurred in the Saxon period, and the next earliest reference to Bath Stone is in 1207 with small scale quarrying. Activity continued from this time up until the 18th century which became the 'great age' for Bath Stone extracted from Combe Down, Odd Down and Hampton Down (Stanier 2000: 68).

Stone Identifiers: Calcareous,  Fossiliferous,  Oolitic.
Reacts dilute to HCl? Yes