UK Building Stone Samples from Historic Quarries and Buildings

Approximately 680 large hand samples of building stones from current and historic UK quarries and historic buildings. The collection, maintained by the British Geological Survey, supports the sourcing and identification of stone for building conservation across the entire UK.

Use Cases

• Identify and match building stones from historic structures using quarry and building location data.
• Analyze lithostratigraphic information to correlate stone types with geological formations.
• Support building stone assessment programs by providing a reference collection for material identification.

Strengths

• Approximately 680 representative hand samples provide a substantial physical reference.
• Spatial coverage extends across the entire United Kingdom.
• Collection is ongoing with new material added regularly, ensuring growth.

Limitations

• Dataset size is limited to a physical collection of around 680 samples, not a large digital table.
• Data attributes like quarry locations are likely descriptive, not structured into standardized columns.
• Primarily a physical specimen collection; associated digital metadata may be minimal or unstructured.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Hand samples collected from current and historic quarries, with additional specimens supplied by conservation architects and contractors from historic buildings.

Time Range

Ongoing; includes historic and current materials.

Freshness

Collection is ongoing; last platform update recorded in March 2026.

Geography

United Kingdom