français

Overview

Brick

Stone

An Example

More Info

Infos Index

Copyright © 1998
Nova Scotia Museum

Stone

• Where did the stone come from? Was it quarried locally or did it have to be brought from some distance? Remember that transportation was difficult in the nineteenth century and the closer the source of material was to your building site, the better. Desireable stone, like the sandstone of the Wallace and Pictou areas, was regularly shipped by water to other parts of the province and to New England. People in your community may know where stone was quarried locally and geological maps often mark abandoned quarries. Visiting these sites will help you identify local stone when examining a building.

• How was the stone laid to make the wall? If the stone was cut square and laid in straight, even courses (rows) it was called “ashlar”. If it was very uneven, using uncut stone, it was called “random rubble”.

• How much trouble was taken to dress (shape) the stone? Some stones can be cut much more easily than others. Sandstone, for example, is much easier to cut than granite. During most of the nineteenth century cutting was done by hand so that a flat or decorative finish on stone work involved much work, and hence expense.

• Mortar holds the stones together and also serves as a cushion to support the stones. The mortar that shows is called the joint and can be shaped in various ways (recessed, raised, etc.) to stress the way the stone has been laid. Generally speaking, the thinner the joint the finer the stonework because the stone has had to be cut with a very flat surface to fit together closely. Until the end of the nineteenth century mortar was usually made of a mixture of lime and sand. Later, portland cement, which was much harder, replaced lime. The colour of the sand used in the mixture determined the colour of the mortar.

There are many decorative finishes that can be used on stone and this is one of the most complicated. When the edges of the stone are bevelled it is called “rustication”. When the surface looks as if it has been worm-eaten, it is called “vermiculation”. Thus, this could be described as “rusticated, vermiculated ashlar”.