Ruth Siddall
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pavementgeology.bsky.social
Ruth Siddall
@pavementgeology.bsky.social
1.5K followers 750 following 750 posts
What is your city built from? This account is all about building stones and accessible geology in the built environment. londonpavementgeology.co.uk
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pavementgeology.bsky.social
Golden Jaisalmer Limestone in NW London at the Shri Sanatan Mandir londongeopartnership.org.uk/wp/wp-conten... #urbangeology #london
View of the Mandir which is built in golden yellow Jaisalmer Sandstone. Architecturally, this is very much an Indian building. Close up of the masonry showing massive and fossil-rich facies of this stone. A view of the delicate and intricate carving of the Mandir. Another detailed view of the building stone, again showing the fossiliferous facies.
November 13, 2025 at 10:48 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Artists! Is your studio haunted by the bowels if a stallion? A short news item from a 1930s edition of the magazine ‘The Artist’ #ghosts
The clipping contains the following text ‘Augustus John, RA who has not seen much of London for some time, has now settled down in his studio in Glebe Place, Chelsea. It holds the distinction of possessing a ghost (no extra rent was charged for this), which is reputed to be the phantom of a disembowelled stallion! I wonder whose studio is haunted by the bowels?’
November 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
If you’re visiting the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire today, here is a guide to the stones used for some of the memorials there ruthsiddall.co.uk/Walks/Nation... #urbangeology #remembrancesunday
A figure from the guide in the link above. This is a composite image showing g four separate memorials, all made from different stones.
November 9, 2025 at 11:27 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
🧵The stone used for war memorials is often chosen carefully and can represent either the home land of the troops or the theatre of war itself. Read more about geology and stone in London’s War Memorials at ruthsiddall.co.uk/Walks/WarMem... #remembrancesunday #urbangeology
The Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Day. This monument is built of Portland Stone. There are wreaths on the steps of the monument and a procession carrying flags passes by on the right hand side.
November 9, 2025 at 11:20 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Aercap House on St Stephen’s Green, clad in Kilkenny limestone, Portland roach and Wicklow granite #urbangeology #dublin
A view of Aercap House showing the black Kilkenny limestone at pavement level. The upper stories are clad in Portland Roach Fossil corals and brachiopods in Kilkenny limestone. A best of fossil brachiopods in Kilkenny limestone Portland Roach at the op of the image with mouldic porosity caused by dissolved fossils. Wicklow granite is in the lower half of this image.
November 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Panels of Irish ‘Marble’ in the foyer of what is now the Department of Justice in Dublin. Stunning example of #urbangeology
The entrance hall of this building is decorated with a series of numbered panels displaying marbles and decorative stones quarried in Ireland. The entrance hall of this building is decorated with a series of numbered panels displaying marbles and decorative stones quarried in Ireland. An example of a black ‘marble’ from Galway figured with a white fossil coral A panel of green Connemara marble.
November 7, 2025 at 5:46 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Ty Hyll, Capel Curig, Wales. Built out of large rough blocks of the local rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Little is known of its history, the local myth is that the house was built in a day. Not sure I buy that as an excuse for not reducing block size, nevertheless an intriguing building #urbangeology
A view of the west end of Ty Hyll - which translates as Ugly House - showing its construction from large, ungainly blocks of stone View of the doorway and a window with projecting corbels supporting the roof. Eastern end of the house. A large chimney occupies the eastern elevation of the house.
November 2, 2025 at 6:39 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
A little bit of #geotourism and #geosouvenirs. I’m fascinated by this sand art from Alum Bay (and elsewhere). It combines my love of pigments, geology and tat. #sandart
Two bell shaped glass jars filled with multicoloured sands arranged in patterns. In the left is a maypole-like swirl of grey, white, pink, red and yellow sand. On the right - this is actually a candlestick - the sand is in earthy tones and arranged to show a picture of the Needles sea stacks. Two bell-shaped sand jars with florentine patterns in multicoloured sands. A label from the bottom of a sand bell which reads ‘Isle of Wight CURIOSITY arranged with GENUINE SANDS from the famous coloured cliffs of ALUM BAY Another label from the bottom of a jar. This is bright red and shaped like a wax seal and reads ‘ALUM BAY COLOURED SANDS SOUVENIR’
October 22, 2025 at 10:42 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Only in Brighton are there ‘real gemstone’ heart vending machines … #urbangeology #brighton
A photo of a cylinder-shaped vending machine on a street which sells heart-shaped polished stones made from agate, jaspers, lapis lazuli etc. A close up of the vending machine merchandise described in the previous image. Heart shaped polished stones in shades of red, blue, green etc.
October 10, 2025 at 1:28 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
My final #urbangeology walk for this year will take place on 4 October. Reservations and more information on #LondonWalks website at www.walks.com/our-walks/th.... Hope to see you there, this is my favourite walk!
Poster for the walk. The text reads ‘discover fossils, stone and astronomy in the city of London! The Monument, the Moon and Malta: urban geology on Eastcheap. Meet at 14.30, Monument Station, Fish Street Hill.’ The background image shows a photo of the Malta War Memorial, a block of squared stone with attached black plaques with maps of the Mediterranean and a description of the siege of Malta during World War II.
September 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Lovely to be at @anjanakhatwa.bsky.social’s launch last night for #TheWhispersofRock. Looks like it’s going to be a great read …
#geology #books
The book cover of The Whispers of Rock: stories from the Earth by Anjana Khatwa published by The Bridge Street Press A slab of Purbeck Stone inscribed with the words ‘The Whispers of Rock’
September 19, 2025 at 12:22 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Ordovician Orthoceratite Limestone from Öland in the orangery at Hampton Court Palace. Large orthoceras fossils #urbangeology
Chequerboard slabs of Öland Limestone with large orthoceras fossils. The slabs are ~ 30x30 cm. My foot is in the photo for scale Chequerboard slabs of Öland Limestone with large orthoceras fossils. The slabs are ~ 30x30 cm. My foot is in the photo for scale Chequerboard slabs of Öland Limestone with large orthoceras fossils. The slabs are ~ 30x30 cm. A view of the red and grey limestone chequer board paving in the orangery at Hampton Court Palace.
September 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
I just had to buy this vintage brooch because it uses probably the most unexpected stone I have ever seen in jewellery - nummulitic limestone! It’s probably 1930s and the other stone used is marcasite #decorativestone
A 1930s bar brooch with a central oblong polished stone which is a nummulitic limestone (nummulites are small fossils). The brooch has marcasite set scrolls of foliage at each end. A close up of the nummulitic limestone with white and grey grain-like fossils in a red-orange matrix.
August 16, 2025 at 5:23 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Next Saturday I’m doing a walk with #InspiralLondon and artist @gaildickerson.bsky.social; Rivers, Reservoirs, Ice and Sea. More info and booking details in the link below www.inspirallondon.com/event/rivers...
Poster for the walk - the link above contains all the details shown in the text here.
August 11, 2025 at 10:13 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
I’ve been quiet on this platform for the last week as I’ve been teaching a course on artists’s pigments @sladeschoolucl.bsky.social with Sarah Pettitt. Some lovely colour swatches were produced by participants from animal, vegetable & mineral, natural & synthetic pigments #pigments #artistspigments
A set of coloured paint swatches on white paper representing mainly blue, green and yellow pigments Swatches of ultramarine blue on primed canvas, card and paper Cotton rag paper dyed with yellow and purple natural dyes Pots of 18th and 19th century brightly coloured, synthetic pigments in shades of blue, purple, green, yellow, orange and red
August 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
An update to my Gazetteer of the UK's fossil trees at large, to include the discovery of a fossil tree stump in Markeaton Park in Derby as reported in #BBCNews
- link in pdf document below ruthsiddall.co.uk/Walks/Britai...
#urbangeology
August 1, 2025 at 4:58 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Watson goes on to relate three further discoveries of toads found encased in rock #folklorethursday
‘NB the workmen employed some years ago in getting this marble from the quarry, on Cowden, near Ashford, on breaking a solid block, found in the midst thereof two toads alive at the distance of about 6 inches from each other which died immediately on exposure to the air.’ This text reads ‘NB these beds are void of Petrifactions, but on breaking a block in Bolsover Field, in the year 1795, of a ton and a half weight, a toad was … (the text continues in the next image) (Continued) ‘discovered alive in the centre, which died immediately; no crack or joint was perceptible.’
July 31, 2025 at 11:22 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
The ‘author’ in this case was White Watson, geologist and lapidarist writing in his monograph ‘A delineation of the strata of Derbyshire’. There is a footnote to his text which highlights some of the beliefs of this time … #folklorethursday
The text reads ‘the celebrated tourist Mr Saussure, of Geneva, made experiments on toads by keeping them from the air enveloped in balls of plaster varnished over, for six weeks, when on opening the balls they gasped and died immediately, as it is said all have done that have been found in rocks.’
July 31, 2025 at 11:13 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
There has always been a lot of folklore surrounding toads and geology. In the 18th and early 19th centuries it was believed that they could exist as living fossils … 🧵#folklorethursday
A photo of text which reads ‘the author is in possession of a dried toad that was taken alive out of this stratum forty yards from the surface in the Fire Engine Pit at Eastwood Colliery, but died immediately on exposure to the air; it was presented to him by Mr Gervas Bourne of Eastwood, of whose extensive collection of vegetables impressions in ironstone and other choice fossils of that neighbourhood etc. It formed a part.
July 31, 2025 at 11:06 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Making verdigris #pigment using vinegar and a copper plate
#verdigrisevolution
A panoramic photo, showing 4 time lapse photos taken over a three month period showing the formation of verdigris (basic copper acetate) crystals forming on a copper plate which has been partially immersed in a beaker of white vinegar.
July 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Simple requests to make life easier. Cafés! Please serve coffee in a normal cup or mug!
Picture of a cup of coffee in a glass beaker with no handle
July 29, 2025 at 9:39 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
Can I have an EP? Ooo-oo-oo-oo-ooo
The cover of New Order’s EP Factus 8
July 26, 2025 at 9:13 PM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
My next #urbangeology walking tour of London will be on Saturday 26th July. Meet at Westminster Tube, Exit 4 at 2.30pm. We will visit the building stones of Westminster and the story behind the building of the Houses of Parliament.
A poster for the walk showing a photo of part of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) and the text given above.
July 20, 2025 at 7:12 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
I have just come back from the 4th Round International Heritage Stone Workshop in Ireland. Here we all are at #McKeoneStone’s quarry at Threecastles in Co Kilkenny
📷 C Sreejith
#heritagestone #buildingstone #geology #ireland
A panoramic photograph showing a group of people - the delegates at the Heritage Stone Workshop - standing in front of the active Threecastles limestone quarry in Kilkenny. We are all wearing hi vis vests and there are around 35 of us. The photo was taken by C Sreejith.
July 18, 2025 at 11:37 AM
pavementgeology.bsky.social
A relatively new wall (2017) at Dunwich Greyfriars, built from local Coralline Crag. It’s now rapidly crumbling away due to poor choice of non-porous mortar. Nevertheless the ‘corallines’ ie fossil Bryozoa, are weathering out beautifully. More detail in AltText #urbangeology #dunwich
A view of the wall, built of slabs of yellow stone. The lower part of the wall has become weathered in, and is soft and crumbling. This is because waterproof, non-breathable mortar has trapped the rising damp and rain run-off in the stone. I thought builders had learned these lessons when conserving buildings 40 years ago. No excuse for this poor workmanship. A close up of the stone showing the weathered out Bryozoa fossils. Top left is a brain-shaped Blumenbachium and foliaceous Pentapora. A large fossil dominated the field of view, possibly the fossil bryozoan Mendropora. Another example of the fossil bryozoan Pentapora
July 9, 2025 at 3:31 PM