Stone

Working in stone requires special skills, and stone of sufficient quality became increasingly rare and expensive. Sometimes masons would exploit small local quarries to build their own houses. In the early part of our period it continued to be used for fence pillars and plinths, building foundations and exterior steps, usually sawn and dressed. In Gothic buildings it was often used for the surrounds of doors and windows, and sometimes to define corners, contrasting with brick walls.

Just as Federation buildings drew attention to their facebricks, so they also used the contrasting texture of stone, not dressed but with a deliberately rough surface (called rustication) for foundations and retaining walls. Spectacular examples can be found toward the end of Glebe Point Road.