Glacial Erratic Boulder - Darlington, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 54° 31.745 W 001° 33.184
30U E 593636 N 6043352
This boulder was left behind by the last ice age and is at least 12,000 years old.
Waymark Code: WM19F32
Location: North East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/15/2024
Views: 0
There is an information board behind the stone with the following information.
THE BULMER STONE - Darlington's Oldest Landmark
This boulder of Shap granite was left here by the last Ice Age circa 10,000 B.C. Other erratics are scattered over the North East. At one time the stone marked the northern boundary of the town. It got its name from Willy Bulmer, Borough Crier, in the early nineteenth century, who called out the London news when it arrived by stage coach.
At one time it was known as the "Battling Stone", as the town weavers used to beat their flax on it.
THE MUSEUM EDUCATION SERVICE, DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
The boulder used to stand outside some cottages as can be seen in the photograph from 1890 as shown on the information board. Then the cottages were demolished and a large technical college erected in their place. The stone was left in roughly the same place, but because the building was larger the stone jutted out into the road. By the 1920s the stone was considered to be a danger to traffic and was moved to its current location, resting on a metal shelf behind railings that protect the building.
It is now easy to walk past the boulder without noticing such an interesting landmark.
Type of Display: Erratic
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