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Red St Bees



St.Bees has played a significant role in the life of the British Isles. Stone from St.Bees Head has been used for hundreds of years from Furness Abbey in Cumbria in the 13th century to Hope University in Liverpool in the 21st.

The distinctive close bedding and fine grain size means that the stone is very resistant to weathering both aesthetically and physically. The inherent strength of the stone allows it to be used for a variety of projects from gate posts, where an high degree of structural integrity is required, to more traditional cladding and masonry projects where the consistency of colour and its physical reliability make it a natural choice.

Specification guide

St.Bees is a dark red sandstone of Permo-Triassic Age, which forms the sea cliffs of St.Bees Head, near Whitehaven, Cumbria. The 100 metre high cliffs are an obvious source of building stone and quarrying has been carried out since medieval times. Seaborne trade, particularly with America, prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries. George Washington’s house was paved with sandstone from St.Bees Head. Since re-opening in 1981, there has been a consistently strong demand for St.Bees sandstone for a whole range
of building applications.

These figures should only be used as indications of the future performance of the stone. The information given is for guidance only and is subject to alteration without notice. We recommend customers contact Stancliffe Stone Company Ltd to ensure details are currently valid. Test results may not be representative of the whole quarry and are provided for comparison purposes only.

 

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Specification of Red St.Bees Sandstone

Stone

Red St.Bees Sandstone

Quarry

Birkhams Quarry

Supplier

Stancliffe Stone

 

Physical Performance of Red St.Bees Sandstone

Geological type

Sandstone

Colour/texture

Dark red / fine grained

Maximum sizes

Please consult

Petrographic description

New Red Sandstone of Triassic Age (BSEN 12440:2001)

Apparent density

2187 Kgm (BSEN 1936:1999)

Open Porosity

17.6% (BSEN 1936:1999)

Water absorption

5.7% (by wt) (BSEN 13755:2002)

Flexural strength

6.98 MPa (BSEN 13161:2001)

Breaking strength

6.56 MPa (BSEN 12371:2001)

Compressive strength

53 MPa (BSEN 1926:1999)

Breaking load at dowel

1924 N (BSEN 13364:2002)

 

Stone Variations

The variation shown above is characteristic of Red St.Bees. This is not something that can be controlled but it can be managed. Please make contact to discuss specific project requirements.

Stone being a natural product may vary significantly in colour and texture within the same range of stone. Descriptions given in this website concerning the colour of the products and the images depicting their colour are approximate only. It is strongly recommended that customers request physical samples of the colour and texture of stone available from any particular range before placing orders.

Examples Of Use

Liverpool Hope University

Abergavenny

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