From the original Roman roads to the natural cobblestone streets of Charleston, South Carolina, rounded cobblestones have been used to pave streets for millenia. Originally, the term “cobblestone” referred to rounded natural stone used to pave streets in Europe and Asia. Cities across Europe and colonial North America were paved with hand-cut rectangular granite “setts” or “Belgian blocks,” which now are collectively (and somewhat incorrectly) called cobblestones. Beautifully worn antique cobblestones, reclaimed from streets in Europe, are available for projects in the United States.
Photographs clockwise from top left: rounded-cobblestones, Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Roman stone paving, Italy; rectangular granite cobblestones (more correctly called “setts”), England; granite setts, France.
Reclaimed Cobblestones
Select Stone imports antique cobblestones from Europe. We can provide these cobblestones both as the original ~5″ thick cobbles and also with just the weathered tops sawn off (1″ to 1-1/2″ thick). Full thickness cobblestones are for sand-set driveways and courtyards that will have heavier vehicle traffic. Thin cobblestones can be used for mortar-set driveways and for sand-set patios/walkways and even interior floors. Click here for more images.
