British Geological Survey Building Stone Team


The United Kingdom has been a producer of building stone for many hundreds of years. Because of our varied geology, a wide range of building stone types have been used and this has influenced architectural style throughout Britain. The importance of this local distinctiveness is becoming increasingly recognised and the maintenance of the built heritage is now a significant issue to society. New construction, including streetscape and paving schemes, are also turning to natural stone. This has led to an increase in the demand for stone and a resurgence in some parts of the stone industry.

Friday 18 December 2009

Johnnie Walker Warehouse, Kilmarnock


The Strand, Kilmarnock, BGS©

Kilmarnock’s Strand regeneration gathers momentum
11 December 2009
Kilmarnock Standard, Michael Pringle
http://www.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk/2009/12/11/kilmarnock-s-strand-regeneration-gathers-momentum-81430-25350430/

East Ayrshire’s new council building will be relocated into the former Johnnie Walker warehouse, Strand Street, in Kilmarnock. The BGS Building Stone Team was commissioned by the Scottish Stone Liaison Group on behalf of the East Ayrshire Council to undertake a building stone audit of 25 buildings and structures within Kilmarnock’s Conservation Area Regeneration scheme. The Warehouse was one of the buildings that BGS surveyed. East Ayrshire’s provost, Stephanie Young, commented on the work currently being undertaken in the article (link above):

“It is good to see new life being breathed into this historic building. As a council we are looking forward to taking over the lease of this building. It will eventually accommodate up to 360 council employees in line with our policy of bringing more of our services into the town centre.”
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Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel in scaffolding taken by: Dan Phillips, The Scotsman
Rosslyn Chapel, raising the roof
19 November 2009 The Scotsman, Brian Ferguson http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/Rosslyn-Chapel-Raising-the-roof.5837787.jp
Rosslyn Chapel is one of Scotland’s most important historical buildings, but has been in poor repair for decades. At the moment the chapel is undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment. The BGS Building Stone Team was called in for a site visit in November 2009 to comment on available matching building stone for repairs. It is known that all quarries in the area are currently closed and no similar local sandstones are available. However, further investigation could lead to the identification of the quarry that supplied the original stone for the construction of Rosslyn Chapel. Such a prestigious monument would provide strong reason for the re-opening of a local, historic quarry that could supply the material once again for the Chapel repairs.
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