Bath Stone

Bath Stone has been used widely in the UK and to some extent elsewhere. Its use throughout the city of Bath provides an overall architectural integrity that contributed to it achieving World Heritage City status. From late 1st century AD a Roman city was constructed around thermal baths (almost unique in the United Kingdom) and Bath Stone was used for the major municipal buildings. Bath Stone was used more widely in England contributing to numerous major historic buildings of which a few are: the Royal Pavilion (1812) in Brighton; civic buildings such as Bristol Guildhall (1843); the Dartmouth Naval College (1905) in Devon; churches and cathedrals such as Truro Cathedral (1880) in Cornwall; engineered structures, notably the large Dundas Aqueduct (1795) on the Kennet and Avon Canal; major palaces and mansions such as Buckingham Palace and Apsley House (1828) in London and Gatcombe Park (1771-1774) and Tyntesfield (1860s) in Somerset. Over the years the city grew across the stone mines. Today the Bath Stone is still extracted in two quarries east of Bath.