Friday 9 October 2015

The Rough Rock at Kirkstall Abbey


A general view of Kirkstall Abbey

Having discovered that it was possible – albeit time consuming – to travel from Treeton to Pontefract and Sandal Castle by public transport, I decided to make a little bit of an extra effort to visit Kirkstall Abbey. Having explored countless castles, cathedrals, country houses and miscellaneous ancient monuments and historic buildings throughout England, I thought that it was about time to see this place.

The geology around Kirkstall Abbey
 
The geological map around Kirkstall Abbey mainly shows outcrops of the Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation - with sandstone, siltstone and mudstone - and the Rough Rock, which is typically a very coarse gritty sandstone in this part of Leeds.

Ashlar walling with a rubble core

I once visited an old quarry to look at a flaggy variety of Rough Rock, during the survey of RIGS in Barnsley, and I have seen very many examples of this stone from a quarry elsewhere in West Yorkshire, where it is widely used as dimensional stone and has a good reputation for its durability.

A general view of Kirkstall Abbey

Kirkstall Abbey is one of the best Cistercian abbeys in England - set on an old river terrace of the River Aire - and the building stone was floated down the river from the old quarries in Bramley Fall Park. If you take the time to take a close look at the stones that have not been blackened by industrial pollution, the physical characteristics of the Rough Rock can be clearly seen here.

The Rough Rock
 
 The Rough Rock at Kirkstall Abbey is a very coarse grained, massive sandstone and, although it can be cut and squared into large blocks, it is unsuitable for fine stone carving  - as often seen in other English mediaeval abbeys - and the architectural decoration is generally limited to simple, functional stone mouldings.

Different styles of masonry at Kirkstall Abbey