sandstone

Mr Johnson, also from Bradford, worked with Delph sandstone and gritstone, which is known for its high silica content.

Hike back down the Beach Trail from the visitors center through chaparral and sandy bluffs to the shore at Flat Rock, where rain has eroded deep arroyos into the 300-foot sandstone escarpments.

As we climbed the steps leading to the iconic seventeenth-century mosque, we glimpsed a tiny tabby tiptoeing through the gorgeous courtyard, which is surrounded by tall red sandstone gates.

But one evening in May, it was chopped down at the ankles and the words "what goes around" graffitied on its sandstone base.

"They were transporting 250 tonnes of sandstone a week across to build this magnificent staircase in Albany," he said.