Rowley Rag
Encyclopedia
Rowley Rag was a volcanic dolerite stone quarried in the stone quarries (known locally as the 'Quacks') of the Rowley Hills
in the West Midlands
of the United Kingdom
. During the 1980s and 1990s, the quarry on Rowley Hill in Rowley Regis
was used as a landfill site. There is now a golf driving range on top of this disused quarry and landfill.
The main use of the Rowley Rag stone was in the production of road surfaces.
A public house
in the village of Whiteheath was named after this rock, highlighting the importance of this naturally occurring product in this area of the Black Country
.
William Withering
, a member of the Lunar Society
, studied the chemical composition of Rowley Rag and gave a paper including this study to the Royal Society
in the 18th century.
Rowley Hills
The Rowley Hills are located in the county of West Midlands, England. The hills are made up of Turners Hill, the highest point in the West Midlands, Portway Hill and Darby's Hill...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. During the 1980s and 1990s, the quarry on Rowley Hill in Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
was used as a landfill site. There is now a golf driving range on top of this disused quarry and landfill.
The main use of the Rowley Rag stone was in the production of road surfaces.
A public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the village of Whiteheath was named after this rock, highlighting the importance of this naturally occurring product in this area of the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
.
William Withering
William Withering
William Withering was an English botanist, geologist, chemist, physician and the discoverer of digitalis.-Introduction:...
, a member of the Lunar Society
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
, studied the chemical composition of Rowley Rag and gave a paper including this study to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in the 18th century.