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Scotland's first 'named' stone

During 'Rock On', Scottish Geology Week 2001 an important first for Scotland took place, the naming of a building stone, a Caithness Flagstone, at Hunter Square just off the Royal Mile. This was one of the highlights and is now a permanent reminder of the 3rd biennial festival of Scottish geology.

What is 'naming' and why was it done?

The naming involved the engraving in situ, of the flagstone with details of its name, its rock type and age. It reads:

Caithness Flagstone
A Scottish rock formed during the Devonian geological period around 380 million years ago

The work was carried out by the sculptress Graciela Ainsworth and her colleagues, in partnership with Watson Stonecraft; their generosity made the project possible.

At the most basic level, the purpose of engraving the flagstone, was to raise awareness among passers-by that large areas of the Royal Mile are paved by natural Scottish rock which is 380 million years old. Its presence on a busy tourist hotspot will hopefully stimulate the public imagination about geology within the cityscape and help restore the links between the natural and built heritage, which have become lost with the use of concrete and other manufactured building materials.

Watson Stonecraft Graciela Ainsworth

It was hoped at the time, other important building stones in Edinburgh and other towns and cities around Scotland would be ‘named’, with the ultimate aim of helping to restore the links in the public perception between Scotland's natural and built heritage. This did happen as part of Scottish Geology Festival 2003, when a stone at the Scottish Parliament was ‘named’ (see below).

Hunter Square
Hunter Square - the location of the 'named' stone, during the Edinburgh Festival.
The man on the left marks the location of the stone.
Image provided by Scottish Natural Heritage

'Naming a stone'
'Naming a stone' - the carving of the Caithness flagstone at Hunter Square in Edinburgh in September 2001, with its name and details of its age.
Image provided by Scottish Natural Heritage.

A 'Named' stone at the Scottish Parliament with kind permission from Sir David Steel, the then Presiding Officer for the Scottish Parliament, a building stone at the new Parliament in Edinburgh was named to celebrate Scottish Geology Festival 2003. Generously supported and facilitated by Watson Stonecraft, Dolerite kerbstones from Caldercruix in Scotland's central belt were engraved by Edinburgh sculptress Graciela Ainsworth and her team. The engraving reads:

Dolerite
An igneous rock from Caldercruix
that cooled from molten magma
around 300 million years ago

the first ‘named’ stone at the Scottish Parliament

This image taken in September 2003, shows a section of dolerite kerbing, the first 'named' stone at the Scottish Parliament, engraved and ready for incorporation into its roadside home. The Parliament building which was still under construction at that stage, forms the backdrop.
BGS image. IPR/46-32C British Geological Survey. © NERC. All rights reserved.

The ‘named’ dolerite kerbstone in place on the Royal Mile

The 'named' dolerite kerbstone in place on the Royal Mile close to Queensberry House.
Image provided by SNH

www.scottishgeology.com - Website maintained by Hunterian Museum