A LANDMARK attraction is embarking on an ambitious project to track down some lost pieces of history. 

Furness Abbey has launched an enquiry into the whereabouts of its iconic stonework. 

Established in the early 1100s, Furness Abbey is a treasured relic of medieval England, boasting a distinct type of sandstone that can be identified in many of the area's buildings and walls.

Destroyed in the 16th century by the dissolution of the monastries, much of Furness Abbey's iconic stonework now lies scattered across the area. 

Gill Jepson, chairwoman of the Furness Abbey Fellowship, said: "Following the dissolution it was a free-for-all and the Abbey was left almost like a quarry. 

"You can spot things characteristic of the Abbey in walls and houses in the area, so it seems people in the past have been opportunist and taken the stones away to enhance their houses."

The Fellowship is now urging people in Furness to be vigilant and look out for specific items that might have belonged to the Abbey. 

Mrs Jepson said: "We don't want the pieces back but we're trying to find out where things were taken to after the reformation. 

"We want people to get in touch with anything they might have that looks as though it might be from the Abbey.

"Someone from English Heritage will then photograph it, find out a little more about it and explain what it might have been.

 "We will need professional help from English Heritage to tell us what the stones are and what they might have been used for but members of the public are welcome to help with the information gathering."

Mrs Jepson believes the project will reveal a forgotten part of the Abbey's past and how people at the time responded to its destruction. 

She said: "This project will allow us to see what the spread of the heritage is. 

"I had someone contact me from Swarthmoor, which I thought was a long way. 

"It will be interesting to see what's out there."

Members of the public should keep an eye out for the red sandstone synonymous of the Abbey and any stones that look as though they might have been carved or worked. 

Mrs Jepson said: "Sometimes we all find things in rockeries that looks as though they have been shaped or worked. 

"We're looking mainly for sandstone but anything with carvings or mason marks could be from the Abbey."