Stamford's Stone Heritage

Stamford's Stone Heritage. by Jason Duckmanton. This painting is an illustrated timeline of Stamford's renowned stone heritage, including reference to the nationally recognised work of local geologist and palaeontologist Alan Dawn (1923-2010). Alan discovered numerous important geological finds and developed the Stamford Stone Trail, which has informed many of the elements of this artwork. The centre of the illustration features an eye, as if Alan were peering through a magnifying glass at Stamford's unfolding history., Starting from the centre of the spiral and travelling clockwise to the outer edge, this journey begins with the River Welland, washing up limestone rocks on the Stamford ford. These rocks were formed over millions of years and comprised of ancient sea creatures such as Ammonites, Belemnites, Brachiopods and Sea Urchins., Stamford's stone became a primary building material for early settlers and was used to construct many of the town's celebrated landmarks, as depicted here in chronological order. Following the timeline of the spiral clockwise are: St. Leonard's Priory (1082), St. Mary's Church (1146), St. John's Church (1451), All Saints' Church (masonry dating from 12th century). Running underneath these buildings are details from smaller intricate designs. The first section is taken from the Norman archway at St. Mary's passage made with Stamford marble (12th century). The second section is from All Saints' Stone Church outer wall base (15th Century). The final section is taken from the terracotta designs at No. 30 High Street, created by Stamford Terracotta Works (1870)., The roses represent the War of the Roses and Stamford's sacking in 1461 which halted much of the town's stone developments. The chrysanthemums and orchids relate to Alan Dawn's passion for flowers, he was a founding member of the East Midland Orchid Group (1976)., At the bottom of the illustration, Alan Dawn is depicted excavating fossils during his time at the Peterborough Museum and the Stamford and District Geological Society of which he was a founder and former President. Alan was also the first recipient of the Palaeontological Association's award for amateur palaeontologists and the Geologists' Association Foulton Medal winner. The large fossil depicted here is one of Alan's marine reptile discoveries: Pachycostasaurus dawnii, which was discovered at a quarry in Whittlesea in 1994 and is homed at Peterborough Museum.