Aislaby Quarry

The quarry workings at Aislaby are 4 mi west of Whitby, and were known to have been in existence by the 11th century, as the majority of Whitby Abbey was constructed of stone quarried from the area. The West and East Piers at Whitby were faced with 6 tonne blocks of Aislaby stone. Besides being used for building purposes, some of the stone from Aislaby was used in decorative work such as crosses used in churches. Examples of this stone worked decoratively have been found in churches the area including Whitby Abbey, Lythe, Church of St Mary, Lastingham, and Hovingham. The Easby Cross, which dates to the early 9th century, has been matched to the same "medium-grained deltaic sandstone…