Tacket Street Ipswich

Kentish Ragstone (a sandstone) comes from the Medway valley area but has been imported for the walls of several Suffolk churches and for making sea walls.

Tavern Street Ipswich

The white limestone is St John’s Travertine from Italy ; at the base of the building is Rustenberg Black Accord Gabbro, an igneous rock from South Africa .   The Ipswich shop front has now been changed but as this business uses the same rocks all over the world, you may find these stones in other towns. You may also need a sense of humour in several languages for dealing with curious onlookers while you are studying the building stones.

Building Stones

A variety of rocks may be seen in the walls and floors of many Suffolk buildings. Local materials such as flint were used by our ancestors in fine churches such as Lavenham and Blythburgh.   Flint continues to be used in modern times, appropriately so in a local heritage centre.

Brandon Heritage Centre

Bury St Edmunds Cathedral

Enhance your visit to Bury St Edmunds by downloading our special handwritten map of the geological highlights of 'God's Square' - the Abbey Gardens, the Cathedral, the Great Churchyard, and St Mary's Church.

Click here

GeoSuffolk leaflets to download

GeoSuffolk goes to Church

Find out about some of the building stones in our local churches by downloading these leaflets.

Click here for South Suffolk churches.

Click here for Suffolk Coastal churches.