Monument record 7959/1/3 - Medieval/post-medieval quarry, east of the Great Central Railway

Slight earthworks of medieval/post-medieval quarrying are visible on aerial photographs and lidar imagery. Helmdon quarries were concentrated to the north of the village.

{1} A much praised stone was sourced from a few fields to the north of Helmdon during the medieval and post-medieval period. The earliest documentary evidence for the existence of the quarries is possibly a charter dating to the first half of the 13th century to a virgate of land held by 'Rob le Macun' [mason]. The church is the oldest surviving building for which the stone was used; the nae arcades date from c1250. The area quarried is confined to a few fields on both sides of Weston Road north of the village. Between c1670 and c1770 Helmdon's stone was used on some of the most important buildings in the country, including Easton Neston, Stowe, Blenheim and Woburn. The industry declined by the 19th century.

{2, 3} Slight earthworks are visible on aerial photography and lidar imagery.

<1> Parry, EG, 1986-7, Helmdon Stone, p. 258-269 (Article). SNN116489.

<2> Environment Agency, LIDAR Composite DTM - 1m, Accessed 18/07/2024 (Digital Plots). SNN111710.

<3> Vertical Aerial Photograph, APGB 12.5cm latest; Accessed 18/07/2024 (Aerial Photograph(s)). SNN112695.

<4> Sutherland D.S., 2003, Northamptonshire Stone, p. 91-7 (Book). SNN104515.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 7:01PM