The History of Quarrying
If you are in the
quarry industry and looking for quarry equipment
you may be interested to learn that the
quarrying industry is Britain's oldest industry.
Why not take a look at the first part of
the fascinating history of quarrying?
History of quarrying – The
Beginning
You may be surprised to hear that
quarries have existed ever since Man began
to build in stone. In the beginning the
quarries would have been very small and
probably only been used by the inhabitants
living in the locality but over time the
demand for differing types of stone grew
and with it came the improvement of the
transport facilities and the quarry equipment.
As a result of these changes the quarries
underwent inevitable expansion.
Quarrying the Oldest British Industry
The history of the quarrying industry
can be traced back even further than the
history of farming. This is because the
tools needed with which to hunt and to clear
forests for livestock and crops had to be
made from stone. In fact quarried stone
has been used throughout history to provide
the building material for some of the most
well-known national monuments in Britain,
including:
- Stonehenge –
Erected around 2500BC, much of the stone
used to build Stonehenge came from rock
loosened by glaciers and rivers. It is
now believed that the ancient quarry which
produced the “Bluestones”
– the inner circle of Stonehenge
– was situated on Salisbury Plain,
a staggering 240 miles away.
- Roman Architecture
– The Roman period brought to Britain
an unprecedented demand for stone, in
order to build roads, towns and fortifications.
In fact, Hadrian’s Wall is made
from quarried stone.
- Caernarfon Castle –
Like many of the castles built in North
Wales during Edward I’s reign in
the medieval period and the cathedrals
and Churches which are scattered across
Britain from the same era, Caernarfon
castle was built from quarried stone.
If you would like to benefit from the wide
range of quarry equipment offered by N.H.Greaves
& Co Ltd then please do not hesitate
to get in contact with us on 01709 582 381
Continued
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