Bramley Fall Stone stone belongs to the Millstone Grit series, of the

Namurian The Namurian is a stage in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe with an age between roughly 326 and 313 Ma (million years ago). It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous system or period and the regional Silesian series. The Namurian ...

stage of the Carboniferous Period. It is one of the cheapest and best-adapted English stones for extensive engineering works, docks, locks and railways, and for large millstones, grindstones, engine-beds and foundations. The stone was formerly quarried at or near the village of

Bramley, Leeds Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds Ward of Bramley and Stanningley with a population of 21,334 at the 2011 Census. The area is an old industrial area with much 19th century archi ...

. Evidence of the quarries, which were discontinued around 1930, remain in Bramley Fall Park. A similar Millstone Grit stone also occurs over an extensive area at

Calverley Calverley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, on the A657 road, about from Leeds city centre and from Bradford. The population of Calverley in 2011 was 4,328. It is part of the City of Leeds war ...

where

Ann Husler Ann Husler (1803–1874), née Procter, was a quarry owner and stone merchant based in Weetwood, Leeds, in West Yorkshire. She ran a quarry business after the death of her husband, John Husler. She ran the business until her death at the age of ...

ran a quarrying business in the 19th century, and at

Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward wit ...

and

Pateley Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales ...

in Yorkshire. A somewhat similar stone, which can be very coarse, approaching a conglomerate is found at

Weetwood Weetwood is an area between Headingley and Meanwood in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded on the north by the A6120 (Outer Ring Road), on the west by the A660 (Otley Road), on the east by Meanwood Beck and to the south ...

Meanwood Meanwood is a suburb and former village in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The area sits in the Moortown ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency. Origins and history The name Meanwood goes ...

and

Horsforth Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying about five miles north-west of Leeds city centre. Historically a village within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 18,895 at the ...

. Similar Millstone Grits have also been quarried in Derbyshire.

Properties

The attraction of Bramley Fall stone that it is comparatively easy to quarry in large blocks. It has considerable strength and weathers well. The stone can withstand shock, making it ideal for engine beds and defensive works, such as the Napoleonic Martello Towers around the south-eastern coast of England . The mean crushing strain of this stone is (upon a 6-inch cube) 265.7 tons per foot super. It is resistant to water and tends to strengthen on exposure, making it particularly suitable for canal and harbour engineering work.

Quarrying today

The modern main source of Bramley Fall stone is the Blackhill Quarry operated by Mone Bros Ltd at Kings Road, Eccup, Bramhope, Leeds. The quarry is next to

Golden Acre Park Golden Acre Park is a public park in Bramhope, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (), administered by Leeds City Council. It is on the A660 Otley Road and covers an area of .Leeds City Council ''Golden Acre Park Guide and Map'' (undated) History T ...

. In 2011, four thousand tonnes of Bramley Fall sandstone, sourced at Blackhill, was used to widen

Blackfriars Bridge Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Chur ...

when the new railway station was being constructed.

Architectural use of Bramley Fall stone

Bramley Fall stone is a generic term and unless its source can be shown to come from the Bramley quarries, it can refer to stone sourced over a wider area around Leeds and as far as

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenar ...

in North Yorkshire. Examples of the use of Bramley: *

Kirkstall Abbey Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall, north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded ''c.'' 1152. It was disestablished during ...

Euston Arch The Euston Arch, built in 1837 (and demolished in 1962), was the original entrance to Euston station, facing onto Drummond Street, London. The arch was demolished when the station was rebuilt in the 1960s, but much of the original stone was later ...

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built b ...

Leeds Corn Exchange The Leeds Corn Exchange is a Victorian building and former corn exchange in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which was completed in 1863. It is a grade I listed building. History The Corn exchange was designed by Cuthbert Brodrick, a Hull archi ...

Armley Gaol HM Prison Leeds is a Category B men's prison, located at Gloucester Terrace in the Armley area of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1847. Leeds Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is still known locally as ...

. Constructed in 1847 in a turreted Gothic Style to designs of the architects William Belton Perkin and Elisha Backhouse. The stone was supplied by John Husler from the Weetwood Quarry. *

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the H ...

, London (1854–1862). Stone supplied by

from the Weetwood Quarry.Survey of London Westminster Bridge". Survey of London, Lambeth: South Bank and Vauxhall. 23: 66–68. 1951./ref> *

Port of Dover The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover, Kent, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just away, and is one of the world's busiest maritime pa ...

Seaward facing exterior

References

{{reflist Quarries in England

Properties

Quarrying today

Architectural use of Bramley Fall stone

Further reading

References