Find yorkstone and yorkstone products used in today’s Construction, Building, DIY and Gardening projects including, yorkstone paving, yorkstone riven paving yorkstone sawn paving, yorkstone walling and other york stone related products.
Yorkstone is a natural stone of very high quality and durability, it is a sedimentary sandstone formed over 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous period as Deltaic river deposits. Yorkstone is made up of quartz, mica and feldspar and is concreted together with natural bonding agents like silica, clay and iron oxides.
Yorkstone has been quarried in West Yorkshire since the 1400’s and has been used to pave most of the major City’s and Towns in the UK. Yorkstone has been used in building projects from Blackpool tower to London Bridge and has paved the streets of London and beyond, yorkstone has also been exported the world over.
New yorkstone is very popular in construction and restoration projects due to its colour, strength and durability. The versatility of yorkstone has enabled it to be used for many building projects from yorkstone paving and walling to intricately carved Monuments, Churches, Cathedrals and more.
Find out how yorkstone is quarried and worked to make yorkstone paving, yorkstone walling and other yorkstone products. Watch videos from a working yorkstone quarry.
Yorkstone sandstone blocks used for making yorkstone products are seperated into two different types of blocks, one has highly visible sedimentary layers, this kind of block is used for riven paving and other riven yorkstone products, the term ‘riven’ comes from riving (splitting) the block apart. This block is referred to as ‘flagrock’ or ‘flagblock’.
The second kind of block is more compressed, and the sedimentary layers are not as visible and cannot be riven apart, this kind of block is used for sawn yorkstone products such as sawn yorkstone paving and sawn yorkstone slabs and blocks used for masonry work and other building supplies and is referred to as ‘ashlar block’.
Other layers in the yorkstone quarry include cross bedding sandstone that can not be used for paving or sawing due to the shape and often loose layers that make up the cross bedded sandstone, this layer of sandstone is used for making rockery pieces, garden features and dry stone walling.
Another layer is made up of hard shale blocks, these are referred to as ‘rag blocks’ these blocks are used for rockery, water features and monoliths. Clay, mudstone, siltstone and soft shale make up the rest of the layers in the yorkstone quarry.
The quarried blocks are rusty red to brown in colour on the outside and are usually a sandy yellow colour on the inside, this sandy colour can clearly be seen on the inside of the blocks when they are sawn into yorkstone slabs or riven into yorkstone paving. Orange bands known as concretion lines can also be seen on the inside of the blocks when exposed with sawing or riving.
The quarrymen who ‘work’ the yorkstone are known as Delvers. Delph, Delf or Delvers comes from the Anglo Saxon word ‘delfan’ which means to dig. The early yorkstone quarrys were smaller than today’s quarries and were called delph’s. Some parts of yorkshire including street names, and some buildings still have the name delph or delver, as in the ‘delvers arms’ public house, ‘delvers cottage’ and ‘delph hill’ are just a few examples.
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