Cutting Stone in the Minster Stoneyard

As I was passing the stoneyard I could hear the sound of the saw whirring as it cut through a large chunk of magnesian limestone. This is how the scene unfolded as a chunk was sliced off the end of a large block and was then loaded onto a trolley and taken away.

York Minster - Repair Work

Here is a section of the Minster that has been repaired and refurbished with new stonework.

The left hand photo shows new blocks that have been cut and shaped ready to be inserted whilst the right hand photo shows sections that have been removed because they are highly eroded. York Minster is made from Magnesian limestone which is easier to work than normal limestone. Magnesian limestone also has the disadvantage that it is slightly more soluble than ordinary limestone and so with slightly acidic rainfall over the years the stonework slowly dissolves and erodes. In the second row from the right you can see the heavy erosion on the sixth block back. For a closer look, click on the photograph to see a larger version in the Picasa web album.