SUPPLY

Research questions

What were the principal trade routes in stone supply between Europe, Britain and Ireland and who were the dominant merchants? How were these networks established and maintained? What types of vessels and loading equipment were used and how did the logistics of transport impact upon the stone trade? In what ways did the businesses of specific stone merchants impact upon stone supply in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland?

What were the relative costs of building in the principal dimension stone types over the course of the century and how did this affect architectural production? What was the range of commercially available Italian marbles in the period and how is this reflected in the eighteenth-century interior?