ENGLISH SCHOOL 18TH CENTURY
The quarrying of limestone in Derbyshire
watercolour
16 x 24.5 cm

Limestone has been quarried in the Peak District since Roman times. It was used as building, for road aggregate, and for the production quicklime. It has been instrumental in mortar since ancient times for large construction, it is a soil improver used in agriculture since the Middle Ages. There are hundreds of known lime kilns from the 17th to 19th centuries and all associated spoil heaps at many sites across the White Peak, Derbyshire, of which can be seen in the present work.