Economic use

Throughout much of its outcrop the Fell Sandstone has proved suitable for use as a building stone, although in some places the rock is too soft for use as a freestone. Sandstone quarrying continues today. Pebbly sandstones are sometimes gritty enough for millstones. Suitable ‘grits’ contain a proportion of comparatively softer grains, which ensures that the rock maintains a rough surface when exposed to wear and keeps its abrasive nature.

Evidence of the quarrying and remains of partially completed millstones can be seen near Harbottle Crags and on Beanley Moor. The digging of millstones on Harbottle Crag is mentioned as early as 1604 and continued until the 19th century. The thickness, geometry and lateral persistence of the Fell Sandstone make it one of the few potential hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Northumberland Trough. It is also a good aquifer because of continuity, thickness, high porosity through fractures, and low cementation.