Balegem stone quarry

Sandstone like the Balegem stone has been used since Roman times. Especially during the Gothic and Baroque periods, it was applied in the construction of houses and public buildings. The light gray Balegem stone originates from the Eocene (50 million years ago) and is a Ledean limestone sandstone. You can often find fossils in it, such as shark teeth and shells.

Today, Balegem Stone, as the only remaining mined Lede stone in Belgium, is very important for preserving our cultural heritage. Together with Gobertange Stone, it forms the only mined white stone of Belgian origin. The importance for the restoration of our historical buildings has only increased in recent years: where more replacement stones, mainly from France, were previously used, there is now again more restoration being done with historically accurate materials.

Some recent references for the use of Balegem Stone are: the Guild House of the Free Skippers in Ghent, the Saint Jacob's Church in Leuven, the Saint Martin's Church in Aalst, and the Great Church in Breda.

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