Corncockle Sandstone was sourced from quarries around the town of Lochmaben, in Dumfriesshire. The stone consisted originally of wind-blown sand that was deposited as sand dunes in a desert environment during the early part of the Permian Period (c. 285 million years ago), when Scotland was at roughly the same latitude as southern Ethiopia is today. A tiny proportion of iron, which is in an oxidised (‘rusted’) state, gives the stone a rich orange colour. Corncockle Sandstone has been used locally, regionally and nationally, mainly to form masonry. Today, Corncockle Sandstone is extracted for building stone at one quarry.

Building Stone ID 10,013