Caen stone

Use in building

Notable examples

• Caen stone was used in the construction of the late 11th-century austere Norman Romanesque Church of Saint-Étienne, at the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, which was founded by William the Conqueror, whose tomb is located there.
• The Norman Romanesque Church of La Trinité, at the Abbaye-aux-Dames, was founded by William's wife, Matilda of Flanders. Her tomb is located there.
• Both abbeys in Caen were built with Caen stone in Norman Romanesque style, and both were unscathed by heavy aerial bombing in July 1944 that destroyed much of the city, as they were being used by the local populace to shelter from the air raids.
• Used by the Normans for the cathedral and castle in Norwich, where it was brought by boat up the River Wensum. Caen stone was also used extensively in Canterbury cathedral. It was used by Henry I of England at Reading Abbey and fine examples of Romanesque sculpture in Caen stone are in the collection at the Museum of Reading. Perhaps the most famous building in Caen stone built in Norman times is the Tower of London.
• Caen stone continued to be a popular material in Britain after the Norman period. For example, it was used for parts of the 19th-century clock tower at the Palace of Westminster.
• Caen stone has also been exported to the United States, Bermuda and recently Saudi Arabia. The narthex screen on the east wall of the sanctuary at Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts is built of Caen stone.