Description

The monument comprises the remains of a limestone quarry of late medieval to early modern date.

The monument comprises an area of worked limestone outcrop, located approximately 200m to the S of Balephetrish Hill, at a height of around 10m OD. Evidence of extraction techniques can be identified in the working face of the quarry, which reaches a height of 1.8m. A block of limestone removed from the quarry lies nearby. This bears wedge marks upon it that are spaced 0.13m apart. The quarry is of particular interest as it is marked on an estate map of 1768. It is believed to have been the source for the limestone used in the construction of various buildings located nearby, including the church, and it fell out of use by 1800.

The area to be scheduled is a polygon with maximum dimensions of 172m ENE-WSW by 124m transversely. It includes the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. It is irregular in plan and delimited by field boundaries on its north, south and west sides, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The field boundaries are excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The area is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a late medieval/early modern limestone quarry. It has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the extraction methods used at the quarry over time, and the way in which local materials were procured and utilised in the construction of high status buildings in the area.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NM 04 NE 34.

Bibliography:

RCAHMS (1980) Argyll: An Inventory of the Monuments, Vol. 3, Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona), HMSO (Edinburgh).

Source: Historic Environment Scotland