Craignair Granite Quarries, Dalbeattie

Postcard of the granite quarry at Craignair, near Dalbeattie. It was opened by the Trustees of Liverpool Dock in the 1820s in order to build their harbour. Granite is very hard and resistant to weathering. In Victorian times the granite from quarries such as Craignair, was of such high quality that it was in demand both for buildings and monuments. Galloway granite was also used for kerbstones and setts or cobble stones throughout Britain. These granite setts were exported widely - as far afield as Argentina and Russia.