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| The John Watson collection of building and decorative stones |
With my primary objective of having a good look at the fossil collections in the Sedgwick Museum completed, I had a brief look at another of the museum’s unique set of geological specimens – the John Watson collection of over 2500 building and decorative stones.
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| Pyrenean Marbles |
Held
in the adjoining Cambridge University Department of Earth Sciences, access to
this collection requires an appointment but, on this occasion, I was given
permission to take a few photos. Having worked in the specialist building
restoration industry in London, where an architect’s specification typically
requires that all materials used for repairs shall “match the existing”,
collections such as these are invaluable for a geologist such as myself.
Although
my time in Cambridge with the Heart of England summer school was running out, I
bought a copy of the Cambridge Geological Trail - an introduction to building stone - and took a very quick look at some of the
historic buildings mentioned in this excellent booklet.
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| The Cambridge Geology Trail |
