Carrstone in Norfolk Buildings: Distribution, use, associates and influences

The purpose of this monograph is to examine, primarily from a geological perspective, the distribution and use of indigenous construction materials - carrstone especially but also its competitors together with brick - in the hamlets, villages and towns of north and west Norfolk, part of the fourth largest county in England, without restriction as to period (Roman-modern) or kind of building (cottage, farm, great house, religious, public/community, official).The area embraced roughly coincides with the physiographic sub-regions distinguished as the level, low-lying Fenland with its extensive controlled or artificial drainage, the gently rising Western Escarpment, the North Alluvial Plain along the North Sea coast, the elevated but comparatively level and gently dissected Good Sands, with the Cromer Ridge in the north and east, and the sandy Breckland. A study on such a geographical and temporal scale must, however, be regarded as no more than a reconnaissance, but it brings light to bear on past changes ineconomic and social factors in these parts of the county, will serve as a springboard for detailed, local work in the future, and may interest conservationists and those whose responsibilities include planning, development, and the preservation of the character of the area.