Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobble", the diminutive of the archaic English word "cob", meaning "rounded lump", originally referred to any small stone rounded by the flow of water; essentially, a large pebble. It was these smooth "cobbles", gathered from stream beds, that paved the first "cobblestone" streets. In England, it was commonplace since ancient times for flat stones with a flat narrow edge to be set on edge to provide an even paved surface. This was known as a 'pitched' surface and was common all over Britain, as it did not require rounded pebbles. Pitched surfaces predate the use of regularly-sized granite setts by more than a thousand years. Such pitched paving is quite distinct from that formed from rounded stones, although both forms are commonly referred to as 'cobbled' surfaces. Most surviving genuinely old 'cobbled' areas are in reality pitched surfaces.
Setts are often idiomatically referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct from a cobblestone by being quarried or shaped to a regular form, whereas cobblestone is generally of a naturally occurring form.
Cobblestone may refer to:
Cobblestone Magazine is a magazine that is published by the Cricket Media and part of Carus Publishing Company.
Cobblestone Magazine was established in 1979. The founders were Hope Pettegrew and Frances Nankin, New Hampshire natives. The first issue was published in January 1980.
Carus Publishing Company acquired the magazine in 2000. The publisher of the magazine, Cobblestone Publishing, became part of its Cricket Magazine Group publications. Until January 2015 Cobblestone Magazine was headquartered in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Cobblestone Magazine is aimed at children ages between 9 and 14 and focuses on American history, especially the history of early America. Each issue is 48 pages and focuses on a particular subject, such as John Adams or the Battle of Gettysburg. Each issue contains several historical articles on the subject, as well as fun activities related to the culture of the times.