Sandstone blocks being hewn and lifted from Dean Quarry.
These particular blocks of Dean Quarry 'blonde' sandstone were perhaps amongst the last to be cut from the quarry. They were used by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden whilst restoring Dean Castle itself. These newer blocks were of inferior quality than the originals and have started eroding much more quickly, so much so that many restored parts of the castle look more worn than parts of it which exist from the 14th and 15th centuries! This proved that most of the good stone from the site had been used up and the quarry was soon closed down for good.
The De Waldens filled in most of the quarry after the Castle was restored and what is left is now filled with water and is used as a duck pond within Dean Castle Country Park. The stone wall of the Quarry is still noticible though at the back of the pond.
Object no :
EAPG296n
Collection :
Creator :
NA
Place of Production :
Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire
Dimensions :
NA
Materials :
photograph
Location :
NA
Accession number :
KIMMG:1983/41/1
Copyright :
East Ayrshire Council