THE final order of Hurdwick stone will leave Hurdwick quarry near Tavistock next month to be used in restoration work at 16th-century Tantallen Castle in Scotland.

Many of the most historic buildings in the centre of Tavistock, including the Bedford Hotel and the town hall were originally built with Hurdwick stone.

This will be the final order of Hurdwick stone as Major Roger Cullen, owner of the quarry and adjoining golf course, says the quarry officially closed with effect from the end of November because it had not been economically viable.

The original quarry at Hurdwick, one mile north of Tavistock, was used to build many town landmarks, before closing in 1920. It was re-opened 14 years ago.

Major Cullen said some landscaping of the quarry had already begun for safety reasons and to preserve the value of Hurdwick House and Golf Club.

?We have to make the quarry safe, and we will have some surplus of stone as a result,? said Major Cullen.

Last week around 40 tonnes of Hurdwick stone was transported from the quarry to Scotland, in addition to 50 tonnes that had already been used in restoration work. The final consignment of 30 tonnes of stone to complete the order will be collected from Hurdwick next month.

In October last year, Major Cullen warned the quarry would have to close because Tavistock and the surrounding area was not providing enough work to keep it operating.

Major Cullen was asked to re-open the quarry in 1988 by planning officers, but said he could not understand why he was asked to do so, when in the years since, restoration of public buildings in the town had continued to be carried out using green-dyed cement rather than authentic Hurdwick stone.

The quarry supplied stone for the porches of 20 new houses in Tavistock and supplied stone for Endsleigh estate.

With the quarry closing, it is unclear where Hurdwick stone would be sourced from were it needed for restoration work on important town centre buildings.