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Millennium Wall Sections

TYPE/AREA: Pennine (Durham and South Northumberland)
Northumbria DSWA Branch Click on above image to enlarge		STONE/GEOLOGY Type/Age - Gannister Sandstone, Namurian (Millstone Grit Series), Upper Carboniferous. The word 'gannister' is used variously to describe clays (seatearths) or sandstones underlying coal seams. Both types were used for furnace linings. The acidity, created by the coalforming vegetation, leaches out iron in the underlying beds, so producing the light colour. Source - Harthope Top Quarry, Langdon Common, Upper Teesdale, Co. Durham.

This is a fine grained, very hard siliceous sandstone. The through stones are locally pronounced as 'thruff' stones. The flaggy nature of this stone and the variation in the thickness of the original beds allows the coursing to be graded, with larger stones at the base, up to thin at the top. Although the coursing is generally random, at certain levels e.g. that of the top step, the coursing is regular.	WALLERS - Gerry Dale, Jeof Mallaburn, James Mason, Ian Muse, Robert Shann. SPONSORS - Northern Rock Foundation, Fergusons Transport (Blyth), Scott Brothers (Harthope Top Quarry).

TYPE/AREA: Pennine (Durham and South Northumberland)

Northumbria DSWA Branch

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STONE/GEOLOGY

Type/Age - Gannister Sandstone, Namurian (Millstone Grit Series), Upper Carboniferous. The word 'gannister' is used variously to describe clays (seatearths) or sandstones underlying coal seams. Both types were used for furnace linings. The acidity, created by the coalforming vegetation, leaches out iron in the underlying beds, so producing the light colour.

Source - Harthope Top Quarry, Langdon Common, Upper Teesdale, Co. Durham.

This is a fine grained, very hard siliceous sandstone. The through stones are locally pronounced as 'thruff' stones. The flaggy nature of this stone and the variation in the thickness of the original beds allows the coursing to be graded, with larger stones at the base, up to thin at the top. Although the coursing is generally random, at certain levels e.g. that of the top step, the coursing is regular.

WALLERS - Gerry Dale, Jeof Mallaburn, James Mason, Ian Muse, Robert Shann.

SPONSORS - Northern Rock Foundation, Fergusons Transport (Blyth), Scott Brothers (Harthope Top Quarry).

TYPE/AREA: Cheshire Coursed Wall
Cheshire DSWA Branch Click on above image to enlarge		STONE/GEOLOGY Type and Age - Milnrow Sandstone, Lower Coal Measures, Carboniferous (315 million years). The tiny sparkling particles are of the mineral mica. These were the result of ancient rivers weathering nearby igneous rocks such as granites. Source - Sycamore Quarry, Kerridge, Macclesfield.

Although Cheshire is often thought of as a lowland county, the eastern edge includes the Pennines. The stone is hard, fine grained and finely laminated with black and white mica separating the layers. It can therefore be split to give stone of specific thicknesses and produce regularly coursed walling, especially when weathered. These properties also allow the stone to be used for flooring and roofing. The wall has all the main features of a typical dry stone wall.	WALLERS - Karl Pollitt, Philip Davies, Bernard Hannett. SPONSORS - Mrs Doreen Earl, Kerridge, Macclesfield; A.M. & D. Earl (Quarry Owners); Nynas UK AB.

TYPE/AREA: Cheshire Coursed Wall

Cheshire DSWA Branch

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STONE/GEOLOGY

Type and Age - Milnrow Sandstone, Lower Coal Measures, Carboniferous (315 million years).

The tiny sparkling particles are of the mineral mica. These were the result of ancient rivers weathering nearby igneous rocks such as granites.

Source - Sycamore Quarry, Kerridge, Macclesfield.

Although Cheshire is often thought of as a lowland county, the eastern edge includes the Pennines. The stone is hard, fine grained and finely laminated with black and white mica separating the layers. It can therefore be split to give stone of specific thicknesses and produce regularly coursed walling, especially when weathered. These properties also allow the stone to be used for flooring and roofing. The wall has all the main features of a typical dry stone wall.

WALLERS - Karl Pollitt, Philip Davies, Bernard Hannett.

SPONSORS - Mrs Doreen Earl, Kerridge, Macclesfield; A.M. & D. Earl (Quarry Owners); Nynas UK AB.

TYPE/AREA: Lancashire Field Wall
Lancashire DSWA Branch Click on above image to enlarge		STONE/GEOLOGY Type and Age - Lower Haslingden Flags, Millstone Grit (Namurian) Upper Carboniferous (320 million years). These sandstones were laid down by 'birdsfoot' shaped deltas comparable to the modern Mississippi, usually in shallow (but occasionally deeper) water. Source - Jamestone Quarry, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire.

The presence of good walling stone in Central Lancashire has resulted in a style displaying well bedded, even coursing, reducing in size regularly from the foundation to the top. The amount of hearting (rubble infill) is relatively small. In some forms (but not here), coverbands protect the wall and form a firm base for the cope stones. A stockproof wall (e.g. for sheep) would be built slightly higher at 1.6m. The Haslingden flags were quarried very extensively for building, flooring and even roofing, and used in many Lancashire mill towns along with local brick.	WALLERS - Brenda Koo, Carl Watson, Eddie Thurrell, Kenneth Clayton. SPONSOR - Aggregate Industries UK Ltd.

TYPE/AREA: Lancashire Field Wall

Lancashire DSWA Branch

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STONE/GEOLOGY

Type and Age - Lower Haslingden Flags, Millstone Grit (Namurian) Upper Carboniferous (320 million years).

These sandstones were laid down by 'birdsfoot' shaped deltas comparable to the modern Mississippi, usually in shallow (but occasionally deeper) water.

Source - Jamestone Quarry, Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire.

The presence of good walling stone in Central Lancashire has resulted in a style displaying well bedded, even coursing, reducing in size regularly from the foundation to the top. The amount of hearting (rubble infill) is relatively small. In some forms (but not here), coverbands protect the wall and form a firm base for the cope stones. A stockproof wall (e.g. for sheep) would be built slightly higher at 1.6m. The Haslingden flags were quarried very extensively for building, flooring and even roofing, and used in many Lancashire mill towns along with local brick.

WALLERS - Brenda Koo, Carl Watson, Eddie Thurrell, Kenneth Clayton.

SPONSOR - Aggregate Industries UK Ltd.

TYPE/AREA: Highland Single Boulder Dyke – Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, and Argyll – in Highland Region, Scotland
Sutherland DSWA Branch Click on above image to enlarge		STONE/GEOLOGY Type and Age - Welded quartzite (crystalline granulite), Moine Series PreCambrian (600-1200 million years old). These rocks are found in much of the Scottish Highlands. A granulite is metamorphic rock with a coarse crystalline texture. The main minerals in this rock are quartz and feldspar. The crystal grains were naturally 'welded' together by immense pressures deep in the earth. Source - Ardchronie Quarry, Ardgay, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland.

The term 'single boulder' means that the dyke is just one stone in width, an efficient method when small filling stones are not plentiful. The fact that daylight can be seen through the dyke is designed to deter sheep from attempting to clamber over it. Single boulder dykes are rarer than double boulder, but are common in areas where large boulders rounded by weathering, are found during field clearance or have been split and shattered at outcrop (as used here). They are mainly to be seen in upland areas such as the Scottish Highlands, North Wales and Dartmoor (often known there as 'moorstones'), especially in granite-like rocks where the surface has been worked over by glaciers. In some areas, the dykes are topped by turf. The largest stones are generally used at the base.	DYKER - Dave Goulder, assistants Mary Gilchrist and Don Eland. SPONSOR - Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, Ardgay (manager Brian Coghill).

TYPE/AREA: Highland Single Boulder Dyke – Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, and Argyll – in Highland Region, Scotland

Sutherland DSWA Branch

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STONE/GEOLOGY

Type and Age - Welded quartzite (crystalline granulite), Moine Series PreCambrian (600-1200 million years old). These rocks are found in much of the Scottish Highlands. A granulite is metamorphic rock with a coarse crystalline texture. The main minerals in this rock are quartz and feldspar. The crystal grains were naturally 'welded' together by immense pressures deep in the earth.

Source - Ardchronie Quarry, Ardgay, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland.

The term 'single boulder' means that the dyke is just one stone in width, an efficient method when small filling stones are not plentiful. The fact that daylight can be seen through the dyke is designed to deter sheep from attempting to clamber over it. Single boulder dykes are rarer than double boulder, but are common in areas where large boulders rounded by weathering, are found during field clearance or have been split and shattered at outcrop (as used here). They are mainly to be seen in upland areas such as the Scottish Highlands, North Wales and Dartmoor (often known there as 'moorstones'), especially in granite-like rocks where the surface has been worked over by glaciers. In some areas, the dykes are topped by turf. The largest stones are generally used at the base.

DYKER - Dave Goulder, assistants Mary Gilchrist and Don Eland.

SPONSOR - Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, Ardgay (manager Brian Coghill).

The text describing each section of wall is also set out on information panels at each point of the Millennium Wall at the National Stone Centre.

West Yorkshire, Cotswolds, South Yorkshire, South East Scotland
Derbyshire, South Wales, Caithness, West of Scotland
S.W. Scotland, Central Scotland, Isle of Sky, Cumbria
Cumbria (Slate), North Wales