Stone in Archaeology Database

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The Romans are believed to have quarried this stone in the area around Corby, Northamptonshire. Local tradition says that it was used in the 11th century in the construction of old St Paul's Cathedral, London (Ashurst & Dimes 1990: 105), but the earliest record of quarries with regard to use are from the mid 13th century. The 16th century saw a great expansion in the use of Weldon stone particularly for the Colleges at Cambridge (Muir 1986: 186) and the oldest documented quarry sites at Weldon are those mapped in 1585, the sites lay in Mill Field south-west of the village in three separate groups of pits. These were clearly worked as shallow pits with the spoil cast up in mounds. A second series of 'hills and hollows' can be seen on the south-east side of the village (Alexander 1995: 117). Weldon stone has been worked more or less continuously ever since and today is used for building and reconstruction work.