VOL. XIX. (l) 
EXCURSION— HAYLES 
23 
EXCURSION TO HAYLES. 
Thursday, September i6th, 1915. 
DivectoY : Sr. Clair Baddeley. 
[Report by L. Richardson.) 
The Members, who included Messrs. H. \V. Bruton, F. H. Bretherton, 
^y. R. Carles, F. J. Cullis, J. M. Dixon, T. S. Ellis, F. W. Fyffe, H. II. Knight, 
E. P. Little, F. J. Mylius, L. Richardson, C. Upton, Lieut. -Col. J. C. Duke, 
Surg. -Major I. Newton, etc., met at Hayles Church. 
A few, including the Director, walked to Hayles from Toddington Station 
(where they arrived at 1.2) via Didbrook. 
In Didbrook the warm brown colour of the local building-stone, the 
“ Guiting Stone,” attracted attention, and reminded those who had visited 
Ham Hill, near Yeovil, of that famous West of England building-stone. • 
In times past, the Guiting Stone was extensively worked by Messrs. 
Groves Bros, at the ‘‘ Tally Ho ” Quarry, near the Naunton Inn on the Stow 
Road, and at the ‘‘Yellow Guiting Stone” Quarry, Temple Guiting. In igoi 
'I'heTaynton and Guiting Quarries, Ltd., accpiired the ” Tally Ho,” Quarry and 
the “Yellow ” and “ White Guiting Stone ” Quarries at Temple Guiting, and 
continued to work all three until 1905. In that year tlie “ Tally Ho ” Quarry 
was closed, and the plant removed to the then recently-opened Coscombe 
Quarry. As the company specialize in the “ Yellow Stone,” the “ White 
Guiting Stone ” Quarry in Oat Hill Wood was only worked when rccpiii'cd, 
and in 1909 work ceased at the “ Yellow Guiting Stone ” Quarry altogether 
in order to concentrate at Coscombe. 
The “ Guiting Stone ” is of a warm brown— in trade circles “ orange ” — 
colour and possesses remarkably good Aveathering properties. The colour 
has no tendency to fade, but rather to attain a warmer shade with age. 
Guiting Grange shows the colour to perfection. 
“ Guiting Stone ” is a very free-working stone, hardens on e.xposure, 
and is not affected by frost, even when the cpiarry sap is still in it. In the 
stone now quarried there are no soft layers, as was the case in some of that 
formerly cpiarried. Blocks 6 to 7 feet in tlcpth and any reasonable size can 
be obtained. When freshly-drawn the stone averages 14 cubic feet to the 
ton. 
The mansions, farm-houses, churches, and buildings generally in the 
immediate neighbourhood of the “ Guiting Stone ” Quarries arc a standing 
testimonial to the merits of the stone — the sharpne.ss of all angles, and the 
clean, square and upright appearance of the buildings being particularly 
noticeable. This is especially to be noted at Temple Guiting Church, the 
chisel-marks being as plain as when the stone left the masons’ hands. The. 
dates of erection are : — Tower, about 15th century ; nave, aliout 14th 
century ; and chancel, about 12th century. Amongst other buildings where 
“ Guiting Stone ” has been used may be mentioned Toddington House, 
Fosse House (Stow-on-the-Wold), Farnham Castle, Tewkesbury Abbey, etc. 
Evesham Bell Tower, about 800 years old, is said to have been built of this 
stone. 
From Didbrook the Members traced the Salt-way (which ran from Lech- 
lade to Droitwich, through Salperton, Hayles and Didbrook) to Hayles. 
At Hayles additional Members joined the party. 
First Hayles Church was visited. It was built long before the Abbey. 
In the reign of Stephen, Ralph de Worcester took possession of Hayles, 
fortified a Castle and built a Church. Earthworks in the meadow now alone 
indicate the site of tlie Castle, but part of the original Norman Church still 
remains. In 1248 the Monks of the Abbey became po.sses.sed of the Clmrch. 
In the 14th century they in.serted decorated windows and a priest’s doorway 
in the walls of the chancel and raised the roof with half-timber work. In 
