Bakestones again

[John Fenna]

Around here Slate is used for everything - turned balusters on the Big House's patio railing, flooring , ornamental fire surrounds, roofing, walling, sharpening stones ... and in my house the floor under the open fire (beneath a deep layer of ash and sand) and as the kerb to hold the sand in place. The quality of the slate that was quarried here is superb (not like Gog slate that is only good for roofing! My house has the same slate - from a local quarry - as the Houses of Parliament) and I use a slab as a fireplace base up in the woods and have used local slate to make arrow heads, a spear head, slip stones, a knife or two ... and for hot rock cooking. With the quality slate there is no bother with exploding rocks
In parts of Wales a bakestone is called a "Planc" in others a"Graddle" or just a "Maen" or "stone". Another term for a bakestone is "Llechfaen" - literally "Slatestone" and this term was used in the South West ... and I live in the South West of Wales

 

[tombear]

I'm just lazy enough to keep hoping a perfect pre done stone magically appears rather than putting in the effort to shape or heaven forbid pay some one for doing it!

atb

Tom

 

[John Fenna]

I'm just lazy enough to keep hoping a perfect pre done stone magically appears rather than putting in the effort to shape or heaven forbid pay some one for doing it!

atb

Tom

Mine - iron - was passed down to me by my father

 

[tombear]

I've a lovely 15 inch iron one that was given to me by a generous soul of this parish which works grand, which is one reason I've not got around to sourcing a stone one, despite hankering after one.

Now the weathers so much better I'm more likely to be doing outside cookerey. Also the chicken concentration camp that the "neighbours" set up in the field at the top of our garden ( rather than theirs ) has been removed on the land owners orders as it was stinking and the excessive number of cockerels was waking the farmers wife at 4 every day. Anyway it was sited just next to the place I want to use for cooking fires, plenty away from the houses and on the only flat bit in the garden.

ATB

Tom

 

[roger-uk]

I can remmeber my Grandmother making welsh cakes on a slate bakestone andit had to be heated slowly - I had to watch the welsh cakes in case they burnt and got some hot ones as a reward with the warning they would give my stomach some Jipe :0

 

[Joonsy]

Delph is just over the hill from us and there is a small old quarry just off Grains Road between us and them which I was once told by a local man was a bake stone quarry. ( I was also told that the village name is derived from such quarrying or "delving" but I don't know how true either statement is.) It's on a local farmers land and he seems to be slowly filling it with disused vehicles at the moment.

Perhaps it is just coincidence but there is an old quarry about 2 kilometres south of Little Langdale in Cumbria called Bakestone Quarry, it was a slate quarry and local names sometimes have historical context so perhaps there is some connection with making bakestones, though it may just be coincidence of course. It is by a wood called Bakestone Barrow Wood, the quarry is now used by climbers and is listed in the UK Climbing website.
(PS, edited to add link) http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=18216