Lancashire stone helps boost famous Barcelona basilica
One of the most famous religious buildings in the world now has a unique connection to Lancashire, it has emerged.
Stone from Brinscall Quarry in Chorley has been used to help get Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Família building up to its final height.
The sandstone mined there was found to be the right match for the stone being used for the 144-year-old basilica, which has famously remained under construction ever since its first stone was laid in 1882.
Emma Armstrong, owner of Armstrong's Aggregates, which runs the quarry, said: "It's such a great honour to be part of it."
The basilica was designed by revered architect Antoni Gaudí and its distinctive ornate design towers over the Catalan city and draws tourists from around the globe.
When its Tower of Jesus Christ was put in place, it became the tallest church in the world, standing at 566ft (172.5m).
Stone mined at the quarry was found to be a perfect match for the basilica's requirements [Armstrong's Aggregates]
This milestone was helped along by sandstone from the Lancashire quarry, which was carefully selected by a team carrying out the work on the basilica.
The quarry uses specialist machinery to maintain the integrity of the stone, and has been working with the project for 16 years.
Explaining how it all came about, Armstrong said: "They rang us up and we thought it was a joke at first.
"But they had scoured around the world and this is the only match, and the only stone that will resist the ozone and the temperature and everything else there."
The basilica is not the only project the firm has been involved in, and continues to work on buildings closer to home.
Armstrong said: "We've done quite a few famous football stars' houses. We've done Hey Hall in Wigan, the terrace gardens up at Rivington and Darwen town centre's paving."
Sagrada Família architects are scheduled to come to Lancashire later this month to inspect the latest batch of stone which has been mined and is ready to go.
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