Joseph Richardson and his sons went on tour with their set of musical stones. They became an international success!
Joseph Richardson, a Keswick stonemason, set about making an enormous music instrument from Skiddaw stones.
As a ship's captain, Peter Crosthwaite became an expert map reader and map maker.
Peter Crosthwaite found an unusual way of attracting visitors into his museum in Keswick!
Peter Crosthwaite recorded finding his first six 'musical' stones in June 1785 while walking on Skiddaw.
Jamie Barnes introduces Peter Crosthwaite, sea captain, inventor and museum curator.
The Musical Stonemason is a Wayang for Cumbria, and is like no other Wayang performance.
While a Naval Commander in the East India Company, Peter Crosthwaite visited the island of Java, and it is likely that he would have heard Gamelan music.
Chris demonstrates the Gender, one of the instruments of the Gamelan.
Find out about different techniques for playing the stones.
Using different beaters on the stones produces very different effects.
Find out how to play the musical stones in this short series of lessons.
The Victorians were great fossil hunters, and many of the fossils in museums came from the private collections of rich Victorians
Fossil Record is a composition for the Richardson musical stones in Keswick museum. It was written by the American composer Brian Dewan, and is played by Brian, Emma Welsby and Jamie Barnes.
Shawn Williamson is a sculptor working in Cumbria.
He is completing a sculpture of a coelacanth, a prehistoric fish.
Although traditional techniques are still used at Gordon Greaves Slate, stone is also cut and shaped using computer operated machinery.
In the past, big blocks of slate had to be 'docked', or made smaller, using only chisels and mallets.
The smaller blocks were split, or 'rived' with a hammer and chisel, to make thinner slates (perhaps for roofs). This was a very skilled job, and at Gordon Greaves Slate, some traditional riving still takes place
Find out about Brathay and Kirkstone slate from sculptor Shawn Williamson.
Soundwave's Musical Stones project.
The Musical Stones of Skiddaw is an ongoing project for schools and communities in Cumbria and beyond. Chris Stones of Soundwave talks about the project.
'Musical' stones are found in just a few places. These very special rocks make curious ringing sounds when struck with a hammer. Examples include Pennsylvania's Ringing Rocks, and Australia's Bell Rocks.