Building stones of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, 'Grey Athens of the North', owes much of its fame to the quality of the sandstone from which most of its finest buildings were constructed. This revised and fully illustrated edition of Building Stones of Edinburgh highlights the geological characteristics of sandstones from famous local quarries such as Craigleith and Hailes and contrasts these with materials available today from other parts of Scotland and northern England. It addresses some of the key questions posed by architects and building designers including: What are the physical and geological characteristics of Edinburgh's buiding stones? Where did the stones come from in the past? Where do they come from today? How were the stones extracted and prepared for use in the buildings? How have these buildings stood the test of time?