Bargate stone

Bargate stone is a highly durable form of sandstone. It owes its yellow, butter or honey colouring to a high iron content.^[1] In some contexts it may be considered to be a form of ironstone^{[citation needed]}. However, in the context of stone buildings local to the extraction of Bargate Stone, the term 'ironstone' is often used to refer to a darker stone, also extracted from the Greensand, which rusts to a brown colour.^[2]

Church of St Mary and All Saints, Dunsfold

Sources

This stone was quarried for centuries in the Bargate Member of the Greensand Ridge, particularly where it is widest in south west Surrey, England. It occurs near the surface and was quarried in the hillsides near Godalming. Medieval quarries are still visible in Godalming, at the foot of Holloway Hill.^[1]

Bargate stone is rare in current use due to its short supply.^[2] Bath stone, Yorkstone and other similar coloured stone is sometimes used as alternatives, or to complement it^{[citation needed]}.

Petrography

Bargate stone is typically a mix of sandy bioclastic limestone and bioclastic standstone. The intergranular cements comprise ferroan carbonate.^[3]

Use

Bargate Stone is found in many buildings in Surrey, approximately 250 of which are listed, and in two churches in London.^[4] It is endemic to older buildings near the Greensand Ridge where it is found. Its 20th century use tended towards coursed use of Bargate sandstone with bricks, or concrete, sometimes with ashlar dressings or mortar rendering.^[5]

Examples

Early medieval

 

Guildford Castle keep

• The Keep at Guildford Castle.^[6] It was a credit to the strength of Bargate that it was chosen for the main structure, standing on top of the natural chalk and Bargate stone bedrock, made it available by quarrying in the locality.
• Godalming Parish Church, Grade I listed assisted by Saxon features.
• Church of St. Mary and All Saints, Dunsfold
• St Nicholas's Church Compton, Guildford (Bargate rubble used, mortar-rendered)^[7]
• Church of St. Mary the Virgin (12th century tower only), Oxted in Tandridge District, east Surrey^[8]
• St Mary's Church, (relevantly mostly in clunch from its own Quarry Street) Guildford^[9]
• St James's Church, Abinger^{[10][n 1]}
• All Saints Church, Witley, Surrey^[11]

16th Century

Tillingbourne Cottage, Wotton, Surrey^[12]

17th Century

Cosford Mill, Thursley^[13]

18th Century

 

The tower on the top of Leith Hill

• Leith Hill Tower^[14]

19th Century

• St Catherine's School/Drama Studio, Guildford^[15]
• St Stephen's Church, Gloucester Road, London (York stone parpoints and dressings in Bath stone)^{[n 2][16]}
• St Nicholas's Church, Guildford^[17]
• St Michael's Church, York Town, Camberley^[18]
• The Shah Jahan Mosque, completed in 1889 along with similar-coloured Bath stone, but a limestone not a sandstone
• Charterhouse School (completed 1872)^{[19][n 3]}
• St Stephen's Church, Rochester Row, Westminster^{[20][n 4][21]}
• Munstead Wood^{[n 5][22]}
• Chinthurst Hill^{[n 6][23]}
• Grafham Grange School, Bramley^{[n 7][24]}
• St James' Court, Farnham^{[n 8][25]}
• St Johns Church, Caterham^{[n 9][26]}

20th Century

• The Pergola, Vann Park and Garden, Hambledon^[27]
• Pinewoods, Oxshott^[5]
• Tigbourne Court, Wormley (blocks with thin horizontal bands of tiles)
• Hascombe Court, Hascombe^{[28][n 10]}
• Platform of war memorial, Bramshott, Hampshire^{[n 11][29]}
• St Tarcisius Church, Camberley — the War Memorial Church to the British Catholic army officers who died in World War I. North Lady Chapel has triple arches and a stone reredos depicting the Virgin and Child and angels^[30] Bath stone dressings^{[n 12]}
• Orchards by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, Bramley^[31]

See also

• Reigate Stone quarried from the Upper Greensand Formation in east Surrey

Notes and references

Notes

1. Tower parapet only
2. By Joseph Peacock
3. By Sir Edwin Lutyens
4. by architect Benjamin Ferrey - Bargate here described not as sandstone but ragstone
5. By Lutyens
6. By Lutyens
7. By Henry Woodyer as architect's home, now school
8. By Henry Woodyer, formerly a church
9. William Bassett Smith and Thomas Graham Jackson
10. By J D Coleridge, for Robert EA Murray and later for Sir John Jarvis
11. Mostly made of Doulton stone
12. By Frederick Walters, dressings in Bath stone, many religious reredos including angels and the Virgin Mary

References

1. "Bargate Stone in the Guildford Area". Guildford Society. 23 October 2017.
2. "Repair and maintenance of stone buildings" (PDF). Spelthorne Borough Council.
3. Lott, Graham; Cameron, Don. (PDF). British Geological Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
4. Advanced Search by text 'Bargate' less Bargate Farmhouse and Street/Lane/Bargate meaning road
5. Pinewoods Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1192323)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
6. The Castle Keep, Castle Hill (Guildford) Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1377881)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
7. St Nicholas's Church, Compton Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1188621)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
8. Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxted Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1189608)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
9. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1377918)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
10. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1378082)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
11. All Saints, Witley Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1260732)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
12. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1378102)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
13. Cosford Mill Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1241732)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
14. Leith Hill Tower Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1028808)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
15. St Catherine's 'School' Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1377893)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
16. St Stephen's Church, Kensington Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1293603)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
17. St Nicholas's Church, Guildford Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1029291)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
18. St Michaels Church, Camberley Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1030037)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
19. Charterhouse School, Main Building Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1190288)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
    Charterhouse School, Old Museum House Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1190406)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
20. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1235247)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
21. St Stephen's Church Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1235247)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
22. Munstead Wood Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1261159)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
23. Chinthurst Hill Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1260635)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
24. Grafham GrangeHistoric England. "Details from listed building database (1249489)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
25. St James' CourtHistoric England. "Details from listed building database (1378283)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
26. St John's Church, CaterhamHistoric England. "Details from listed building database (1294940)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
27. Pergola Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1000302)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
28. Hascombe Court Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1384634)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
29. War memorial platform, Bramshott Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1392394)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
30. Pergola Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1391327)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
31. Orchards (park and garden) Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1001174)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 October 2013.