New Books

The Stones of St Augustine's Abbey

Geoff Downer

ISBN 978 0 9561690 0 6

This excellent 28 page book gives very clear and helpful descriptions, all illustrated in colour, of seventeen different types of building stone to be seen in the ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey at Canterbury. Close-up photographs are also given for many of the stones. There are also sections on stone robbing, quarrying, transportation of stone, medieval building work and on making and using lime mortar, as well as action maps of the sources of each type of stone and a chart of the geological time periods when they were formed.

The stones are related to the St Augustine’s site by a plan showing where examples of each may be seen, also a brief history of the abbey and a suggested tour route. This little book really deserves a much wider audience than those who visit the abbey ruins in Canterbury. In fact any non-specialist investigator of medieval stonework in Kent, either in standing buildings or on archaeological sites, will find it useful, especially given its very modest price.

Price £3.95 (which includes P&P). Copies should be ordered from: Kent RIGS Group, 6 Manor Close, Canterbury CT1 3XA and cheques made payable to: Kent RIGS Group.