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The use of granite as a building material is...
(unless you live in Aberdeen)
http://sc.theimagefile.co.uk/v/tp/280/310/900547619_4_Aberdeen-Marischal-College-SO275065JHP.jpg
...a reliable sign of advanced corruption - of terminal phase political correctness.
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(Unless you live in Aberdeen)
http://www.odd-scotland.com/images/AberdeenGraniteStreet.jpg
...there is no reason to use granite for any reason except for making the edge between pavements (sidewalks) and the road.
http://www.heritageconnectlincoln.com/imgGallery/big_2008_Anchor_St.JPG
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Granite is ugly.
(Unless you live in Aberdeen -
http://ssa.nls.uk/assets/images/about_us/full/2225.jpg
...and even then it only looks good during clear bright weather - the rest of the time it looks like concrete breeze blocks:
http://www.wickes.co.uk/aerated-blocks/invt/213632/
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Granite is very difficult to work. Essentially it is much too hard.
I watched a builder spend a whole day drilling one hole in a granite block - to insert a railing post -and even then he managed to break the edge of the hole, which then needed an ugly cement patch.
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Granite is expensive.
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So, there is no reason to build with granite - especially in a city (like most English ones) built mostly from sandstone or limestone.
Unless you anticipate the structure standing for more than a couple of hundred years - when I suppose the sandstone or limestone might become eroded.
On the other hand, eroded stone can be very beautiful:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/476944895_9432aecbdc.jpg
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Naturally - since granite is slow to work, inefficient, expensive and ugly - it has for more than a decade been the favoured building material for universities, churches, local government and the houses of wealthy public sector employees.
http://www.granitecountertops-michigan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/granite_countertops.jpg
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