Stone for building has been quarried for millennia, but it is only since the 1800s that large quarries have been opened for extensive extraction. Some quarries are removing entire hills, using the crushed rock for major construction projects. Others are taking masonry for major new buildings or repairing historic structures.
Once no longer economically viable or worked out, quarries are usually abandoned. However some, like the slate quarries at Ballachulish, have been landscaped so that the areas can take on an alternative land use.
The extent of the quarry at Orrock in Fife is clearly visible, and recent aerial photographs like this can be used to confirm the information noted from historic and current OS maps.
HES DP040733
