Runcorn sandstone, from the Triassic Sherwood sandstone group, has been exploited since Roman times and formed a huge area of quarrying in the 19th century. The now defunct quarries have been incorporated into the large Runcorn Hill nature reserve, and serve as spectacular landscape features within wooded glades and viewing points across the Mersey Estuary. The Runcorn stone, though esteemed and durable in many other settings, has not been resistant to the sulphurous atmosphere of Manchester, and is one of the weakest, most eroded stones in St Ann’s Church.