An instant reaction to this title could well be ‘Why should I buy this
book when I can utilise readily available Geological Survey maps?’ But
view this masterful, beautifully produced volume and you will be
absolutely delighted. This is no simple Atlas, it describes and pictures
in wonderful detail, over 50 rock types found in the buildings of
Sussex.
Commencing with an extremely useful section of eleven pages introducing
the reader to the ancient heritage of early Sussex building stones,
there follows useful supplementary information, packed with delightful
figures in colour. With applicable illustrations, it advises on topics
such as ‘The Building Stone Landscape’, ‘Stone Quarrying in Sussex’,
‘Historic Use of Building Stones’, and even to the past coastal and
river navigation of about 1000AD that assisted in the distribution of
the stone types at that time. There follows a comprehensive, well laid
out, easy to use, double-page spread, describing each rock type in
stratigraphical order. Occasionally, two double-page spreads are used
where the importance of certain rocks, such as the Hastings Sandstone,
are involved. These descriptions are accompanied by excellent colour
photographs of the particular building stone, both in its natural
geological environment and as used within buildings. A clear colour map
with grid displays the whereabouts of that stone in each of these
circumstances.
In addition to the indigenous rocks of Sussex, stones used for buildings
from elsewhere in the British Isles, as well as those imported from
France, Belgium and some more exotic rocks from elsewhere, are carefully
illustrated and detailed. Nor were the bricks and tiles of Roman
construction omitted. The 148 pages of this, very reasonably priced,
outstanding book, truly leave ‘no stone unturned’.
Particularly useful is the provision of archaeological and geological
glossaries where the historic uses of different rock types are
discussed. So much knowledge related to the early use of building stones
relates to their occurrence in churches, so it was a delight to find
the churches listed in an appendix. A minor shame, however, that the
grid reference of each was not given. In a book so clearly packed with a
vast amount of such brilliantly offered information there must be a
rare mistake; I will proffer ‘ferricrete’, which uses a word for a rock
differing from that as it was originally defined. But those minor petty
comments are not called for in a beautiful, useful book of such quality.
Buy it, admire it, make the most of it, and treasure it.
Reviewed by John F. Potter
Building Stone Atlas Of Sussex - Roger Cordiner & Anthony Brook
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£29.99
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