Wot appn'd to all them cobbles?


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Back to cobbles; this appeared recently elsewhere. Marple Street in St Ann's with a great surface to ride a bike on.

I'm glad the streets on Clifton weren't like this when I was a kid on a bike.

Ilkeston Road Radford

All of the cobble stones (granite sets) were manufactured in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. I would like to know how they made them. They are precise in size and some have a rounded cushion top. Bearing in mind that originally they would only have had steam power, how did they cut granite so precisely in such great numbers - all six sides have to be cut. Because there must have been hundreds of millions if not billions, there must have been an easy way. Also, where were they made - at the quarries?

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That's a very interesting question Dave. Firstly, according to Google/Wiki, Granite Setts and 'Cobbles', are different animals. Setts are 'cut' to shape, whereas cobbles' are just rounded stones laid next to each other.

I'm still trying to find oout how Setts were mass produced, but it will have to wait till Sundown.

As for where they all went?

Well, I wouldn't want to re-inforce the false claim that Liverpool is full theiving 'Scousers', but in an incident a few years back, a group of workmen turned up to a street where the houses had recently been demolished. They closed off the street with signs and proceeded to lift all of the sets and load them onto wagons.

Nobody questioned them and it was only realised later that they were theives.

They got away with thousands of setts. Cheeky buggers!

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I always thought cobbles were made- bonded together with mortar.

Stone setts are a different species altogether.

The street cobbles I was used to see seeing had vertical sides..didn't appear hand/machine cut..but moulded?

Could be wrong..back to me mackerel!

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I thought the word was 'sett', but none of my dictionaries, including a Victorian one has it. Nor do they have' set' for this meaning. However, my American one has 'set', with one t as a paving-stone. Where did they go - many did not go anywhere, they were just tarmacked over. I remember well piggling the gas tar from between them on Cheltenham Street, Old Basford.

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I mentioned before we always called them 'Monkey Bricks'.......anyone else heard this ?

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  • 1 year later...

Great for making chocks for playing marbles. Don't forget the gas tar that ran down the side, brill in summer gas tar bubbles and busting them. Getting your fingers covered in tar.

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We bought some granite setts from a reclamation yard near Bicester a few months ago.  They were £1.10 each - Paul did a bit of haggling to get the price down from £1.50!

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Probably most of Nottinghams granite setts came from Mountsorrel . This an advert from 1870s
 
"THE GRANITE PATINO SETTS surpass all others in the Kingdom for toughness, combined with good foothold for horses. THE MOUNTSORREL Granite “BROKEN,” Is one the best Materials for Road Making known. THE MOUNTSORREL GRANITE QUARRIES find work for 500-600 men.....
18 May 1872 - Nottingham Journal "
 
Quarries still going and owned by tarmac.

 

http://www.tarmac.com/mountsorrel-quarry/about/

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  • 8 months later...

The council is resurfacing  parts of Hucknall Rd this week between Arnold Rd, and Gala Way. I noticed when walking past this afternoon, that they have removed the life expired surface, and lol and behold, there was a layer of lovely old cobbles revealed. 

An idle but fascinating afternoon is being spent peering out of the front bedroom window, watching the blokes working.

It certainly looks to be a neat job they're doing.

 

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Send ‘em up my way FLY.  

About 5 years ago everybody on our road got a letter from the Council to say that between certain dates the road would be re-surfaced and no cars were to be left parked on the road.  It never happened.   We’re still waiting and the pot holes get bigger.  There are still granite setts in the gutters of Mapperley Park.

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Oh so sorry Lizzie. They're done on my stretch for the day. I'll tell them tomorrow morning. Ok ?

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  • 1 year later...

Watch that bleddy dog lads !

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