Babalwbi/Babaloobi

[Gissing]

I'm trying to find out about ornamental stone clumps, usually of white quartz, which are often to be seen on gateposts or along walls outside dwellings in West Wales, and which I have seen referred to, but only on one website, as babalwbi/babaloobi. Does anyone know what they are called or anything about the words babalwbi/babaloobi?

[jabuchanjx]

According to this web site http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/746954 they say this:
Apparently they are known by the charming name of babalwbi/babaloobi. In the absence of street lights they may help the pub-goer to find the way home!

[sunny-dave]

Now this is what AB is good at - really interesting question and a good first answer too. Hope someone can expand a bit more on it.

"Question of the Day" so far for me :)

[tonyav]

My Nan and Grandad used to have a rockery made out of that stuff.

[Gissing]

Thank you for the geograph.org link, but that is the one website I referred to. I have been told today that the same word refers to lumps of quartz found in fields in South Pembrokeshire, and that the word is something like babaloobi, but nobody (in the pub) knew how to pronounce it or spell it. Googling variant spellings and sound-alike words has got me nowhere so far.