LAARC Stone Reference Collection

The LAARC stone reference collection has been assembled to meet the demand from researchers, archaeological units and the general public for an accessible hands-on assemblage of worked stone-types for the London area.

Dr Kevin Hayward from the University of Reading has compiled the collection, which consists of nearly 200 examples of worked stone from Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval Occupation phases as well as numerous outcrop samples.

All the major uses of stone are catered for including honestones, quernstones, inlays, architectural fragments and tessarae. The collection also examines the tremendous variety of geological material used in the capital. The demand for stone coupled with the regions poor underlying geology meant that much of this material had to be brought in from afar, including the continent.

The main advantage of this collection is that it allows for direct hand specimen comparison. The geological character and quarry source of a piece of rubble or worked stone can now be more confidently assigned. 

Dr Hayward has compiled this collection as part of his on-going research – which examined the geological source of the earliest tombstones and architectural fragments from south-east Britannia, using petrological and geochemical techniques (Hayward 2006; 2007). He also undertakes stone consultancy and can be contacted at the University of Reading by e-mail sgs05kmh@rdg.ac.uk.

Hayward, K.M.J (2006).  The Early Development of the Roman Freestone Industry in south-central England. A Geological Characterisation Study of Roman FuneraryMonuments and Monumental Architecture. (Unpublished PhD thesis, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading).

Hayward, K. M. J. (2006). A geological link between Facilis and Army tombstones from the Rhineland Frontier. Britannia 37: 359-363.

Hayward, K.M.J. (In Prep). Early Roman Quarrying and Building Stone Use. British Archaeological Reports. Oxford, Archaeopress.