Highly durable and fine-grained, with honey and oatmeal shades that subtly age to Autumnal colours, Wealden Sussex Sandstone has been highly valued as a construction material since the time of the Normans. It was chosen for many notable buildings such as Battle Abbey and Wakehurst Place. However this attractive and superior stone has not been readily available for many years. In January 2004, Lambs secured the right to excavate Philpots quarry, the last remaining dimensional Wealden Sussex Sandstone quarry in the UK. The geology of the site is unique and comprises of Hastings beds, and lower Tunbridge wells sand of deltaic origin cemented by quartzose sand. Since Lambs secured the rights, continual capital investment has been made to ensure the quarry can meet the needs of all our clients.

A specialist stone service

Lambs stone specialists will carry out site surveys to ensure customers receive the best advice available in the uses of our stone. Working drawings are then produced and provided to our clients for approval together with Wealden Sussex Sandstone samples with bespoke finishes. Lambs are also able to offer a complete range of indigenous British natural lime and sandstones such as Portland, Bath and York stone from large stocks. If required, Lambs can offer wet cast and dry pack reconstituted stone to our clients. However, we would generally recommend using natural stone as a preferred option.

Careful extraction

Wealden Sussex Sandstone is extracted utilising heavy lifting equipment. The stone blocks can weigh up to 20 tonnes each before they are carefully cut to size to meet our clients needs.

Quality control

After the Sussex Sandstone blocks are extracted from the quarry face they are graded according to their consistency and quality. Top grade Sussex Sandstone is predominantly a honey and oatmeal shade with fine striations that is suitable for carved work and finished building masonry. Building grade stone is also suitable for masonry work but contains a greater content of carbonaceous striations and is therefore not suitable for fine carved work. Other stone is also extracted from the quarry such as rockery grade stone and stone that is naturally suited as hand-split face walling products.

Primary Sawing

Lambs have invested heavily in primary sawing equipment to ensure that large blocks can be cut down into manageable slabs. These are often sold to the masonry trade to be processed into final finish products.

Secondary sawing and finished masonry

As well as offering clients Wealden Sussex Sandstone cut into slabs, Lambs is able to offer clients final finish masonry cut to the client’s unique requirements. Wealden Sussex Sandstone is suitable for both refurbishment and new build projects; our experts can assist with either. The quarry also holds stocks of other indigenous natural limestones and sandstones that can be offered where our stone specialist views them to be more appropriate.

Delivery

Down to the last detail

The meticulous attention Lambs give to producing your order continues in delivery. We are proud of our products and take great care packing them. Our drivers are skilled in transporting and handling fragile stone items such as trays of intricate mouldings and every effort is made to ensure your order arrives in perfect condition. If required, we will individually label your items to correspond to our drawings, easing their identification and final placement.

Gravetye Manor built in 1598 with stone sourced from the original Philpots quarry. This entrance shows the longevity of this unique sandstone.

 

Lambs craftsman carving Wealden Sussex Sandstone cornice unit.

 

Block being carefully extracted from sandstone beds by 30 tonne Caterpillar 980F.

 

Lambs operate a 2.2 metre diameter primary saw to ensure high quality slab is available for secondary sawing and the masonry trade.

 

Computer controlled bridge saw shaping Wealden Sussex Sandstone into decorative balustrades.

 

Lambs Wealden Sussex Sandstone walling carefully packaged. Masonry items are generally separated by polystyrene layers and shrink wrapped.

 

Wealden Sussex Sandstone has been successfully utilised to form garden features.

135 million year old Wealden Sussex Sandstone river bed feature stone.

Wakehurst Place built in 1590, a typical example of weathered Wealden Sussex Sandstone.