Devon day 23 Tue 15 May 2018

Washed clothes in a Axminster launderette then drove to Beer Quarry Caves. Informative underground tour for 1 hour describing how the quarry men extracted the Beer Stone which is a very fine grade of chalk by hand, using pick axes and stone saws. Stone was first extracted by the Romans for their villas, later Normans used the stone for cathedrals, castles and manor houses. The stone is soft for some time after it leaves the ground and stonemasons both onsite and at remote locations would carve it before it hardened into a durable rock that lasts for many centuries. A tectonic plate fault passed through the underground quarry and horizontal slippage which occurred about twenty million years ago is visible. The last quarrying in the immediate area ceased in 2003. The quarry we toured last was used around 1920. We drove to the Beer town centre and parked in the headland long stay car park. From there walked along the Coast Path to Branscombe Mouth then on to Branscombe village where there is a National Trust water mill, bakery and iron forge. Returned to Branscombe Mouth and on to Beer a beautiful fishing port. After taking photos drove to Seaton where we purchased groceries and petrol.Read more