Red Sand Stone

[Ogre]

For safetys sake I'd be very cautious and wary about taking any advice from an Internet forum.

Seriously , no disrespect to anyone , but caution 1st.

Too right..

[counsellor]

I was walking through Hereford today and stopped by the cathedral where a mason was working,
He said the cathedral is made of red sandstone and that about 1000 years old
I can only say that has some pretty good arches, doorways etc
he also said that some of the lower quality sandstone has clay in it which makes it softer
I think that an important factor for caving into any rock would be the direction of the strata
I know not much help, but good luck anyway

[the-gnole]

I was walking through Hereford today and stopped by the cathedral where a mason was working,
He said the cathedral is made of red sandstone and that about 1000 years old
I can only say that has some pretty good arches, doorways etc
he also said that some of the lower quality sandstone has clay in it which makes it softer
I think that an important factor for caving into any rock would be the direction of the strata
I know not much help, but good luck anyway

Biggest problem with the Cathedral is that the red sandstone is too soft in a lot of places so is almost crumbling away, which would happen to any stone of similar make-up if exposed to adverse weather. Also, as you have mentioned the strata, it was a sandstone slab that killed a youngster a few years ago when they lit a fire below an overhang, the heat split the stone and it crushed him.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west ... -25307772/