Follow the brown signs

The National Stone Centre site covers 50 acres (20 Ha), about half of which is designated nationally as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geological features. It is also on a select list of sites (as part of the National Geological Conservation Review) for its fossil lagoon/reef mound features and shark remains. Almost all the site is of limestone deposited in Carboniferous times 330 million years ago. At the bottom (southern edge), the limestone is overlain by younger shales and mudstones (and thin glacial deposits) which also form the rising ground, below the Millstone Grit crags.

The National Stone Centre’s aim is to tell the ‘Story of Stone’in the UK – its geological origins, the history of its working from earliest times, its multiplicity of uses, environmental issues and its contribution to landscape and art. The National Stone Centre provides:

• a dramatic and nationally important Earth science site

• guided trails covering geology, ecology and industrial history

• Discovery Centre telling the Story of Stone, including café area and treasure shop

• wide ranging services for schools, colleges and interest groups

• professional services: design, geoconservation, quarry history research, site interpretation, educational advice, stone sourcing

• craft skills and professional training courses related to stone: stone walling, carving, masonry, lime, conservation interpretation

• Millennium Wall – a full scale outdoor ‘museum’ of British dry stone walls

How to find us