Different Forms Of Marble
Description
This section is from the book "Notes On Building Construction", by Henry Fidler. Also available from Amazon: Notes on building construction.
Different Forms Of Marble
Encrinal and Shell Marbles are those which derive their figure from embedded fossils, encrinites (lily-shaped plants with jointed stems), or fossils of ordinary shells.
Madrepore Marbles are made up entirely of fossil corals.
Ancient Marbles
Many of the marbles used by the ancients, and handed down to us in the shape of works of art, are not now known 111 their natural state.
Their markings and tints are frequently imitated in artificial marbles, and the ancient names are applied to the imitations.
Varieties
A good deal of the marble used in this country comes from the Continent.
Of the varieties found in England, the best known are those of various colours from Devonshire; black and grey marbles from Derbyshire; the Purbeck marble from Dorsetshire; Mona marble from Anglesea.
There are many varieties in Scotland, but they are chiefly used locally, and burnt for lime.
Ireland supplies marbles of all colours. Black from Galway, Kilkenny, and other counties; dark grey and sienna from King's County; white from Donegal; red from County Cork. The so-called Connemara marble is a serpentine (see p. 34).
Table Of Some Of The Principal Marble Quarries In Great Britain And Ireland
NAME OF QUARRY. | NEAREST POST TOWN. | COUNTY. | COLOUR OF STONE. PER Foot-Cube in Lbs. | GEOLOGICAL FORMATION. | WHERE USED, AND REMARKS. | |
English Marbles | ||||||
ASHFORD.. | Kowsley . | Derbyshire | Black . | ... | Mountain limestone | These marbles are highly figured, as they contain embedded fossils of all kinds. |
Bakewell ... | Bakewell . | Do. | Brown . | ... | Do. | .. |
Berry Pomeroy | .. | Devonshire | Dove coloured, and red and white. | .. | .. | .. |
Bridstow ... | .. | Do. | .. | .. | ... | |
Chudleigh.. | .. | Do. | Do. | . • • | .. | Chimney-pieces. |
Cole Hill ... | Matlock . | Derbyshire | Black . | ... | Mountain limestone. | ... |
Dent ... | ..,. | Yorkshire | ... | ■ • a | Full of fossil encrinites or "stone lilies." | |
Drewsleighton . | Drewsleighton . | Devonshire | .. | • . • | ||
Ipplepen ... | Newton . | Do. | Purple clouded with red and white | 163.4 | Devonian | Blocks 18 feet square sent to London. Used for shafts of columns, National Provincial Bank, Bishopgate Street. |
Killey Park.. | ..- | Do. | Green; rose coloured. | .. | .. | |
One Ash | Matlock . | Derbyshire | ... | ... | Mountain limestone. | .. |
Oreston | Plymouth | Devonshire | ... | ... | Devonian | Used for Plymouth Breakwater. Attacked by Pholades. (See p. 10.) |
Petit Tor (No. 1) | St. Mary's Church | Do. | Grey | ... | .. | Known as Babbicomb marble. Some blocks consist entirely of fossil corals, and are known as Madrepore marble. |
PETWORTH . | Arundel . | Sussex | Do. | ... | Wealden . | Very similar to Purbeck. The Episcopal chair of Canterbury is made of this marble. Found also near Horsham, Eastbourne, Lewes. |
Plymouth . | Plymouth | Devonshire | .. | ... | Plymouth Forts and Barracks. | |
Pocombe | Exeter | Do. | Purple; white veins | .. | Devonian. | .. |
Purbeck, Swan-age | Swanage . | Dorsetshire | Grey | ... | Purbeck beds . | A mass of shells; occurs in beds from C in. to 9 in. thick; much used for slender shafts in old churches. |
Sheldon | Matlock . | Derbyshire | .. | ... | Mountain limestone. | .. |
Staverton | ... | Do. | Dove-colonred, and red and white. | .. | ||
S. Tauton . | Totness . | Devonshire | .. | ... | Devonian. | .. |
Wilton | ... | Stafibrdshire. | .. | .. | .. | |
Anglesea . | • •* | Isle of Man | Black. | .. | .. | .. |
Isle of Man. Mona | ....... | Anglesea | Dark green, light green, and sometimes purple, with white | ... | • •• | Apparently formed by a combination of crystalline limestone and serpentine. |
POKTWASH . | • .• | Isle of Man | Black and grey | ... | Carboniferous . | Steps of St. Paul's Cathedral; full of encri-nites and shells. |
Port St. Mary . | • • . | Do. . | Black . | ... | Do. | Takes a good polish. |
Scarlett . | ..... | Do. . | Pale | • >• | Do. | Castle Rushen built with this marble. |
Scotch Marbles. | ||||||
Aboyne | Aboyne . | Aberdeenshire . | Grey and white. | .. | .. | .. |
Assynt | ... | Sutherlondshire | Grey, blue, and dove-colour. | .. | .. | .. |
Ballachulish . | Olencoe . | Argyleshire | White and grey. | .. | .. | .. |
Blairgowrie | Blairgowrie | Perthshire | White. | .. | .. | .. |
Glentilt . | Blair- Athol | Do. . | White and grey | .. | ... | Occasional yellow spots. |
Iona . | Oban | Argyleshire | Grey and white | .. | ... | Sometimes has yellowish spots or rims of steatite; does not take a high polish. |
Skye . | • • | • . . | Greyish. | .. | .. | |
Tiree | Tiree | Hebrides | Pink, with dark green crystals. | 172.3 | Block for bust of Sir W. de la Beche, Museum of Practical Geology. | |
NAME OF QUARRY. | NEAREST POST TOWN. | COUNTY. | COLOUR OF STONE. | Weight Per Foot Cube in Lbs. | GEOLOGICAL FORMATION. | WHERE USED, AND REMARKS. |
Irish Marbles. | ||||||
ANGLIHAM ... | Gal way . | Galway | Black. | .. | .. | .. |
Ballykiloboy.. . | Waterford | Waterford | Grey. | .. | ||
Ballymore.. | Dunfanaghy | Donegal . | Creamy white . | ... | ... | Polishes well; highly crystalline; difficult to work; chimney-pieces. |
Boston... | Rathangen | Kildare . | Black | .. | .. | .. |
CARLOW.. | Carlow | Callow | Do. | .. | .. | .. |
Chukchtown.. | Churchtown | Cork | Red, black, brownish red | ... | ... | Museum of Irish Industry, Dublin. |
CLIFDEX.. | Clifden . | Galway . | White . | •• | ... | Stones of considerable area but small depth; no cubical blocks of any size. |
Clonmacnoise . | Clonmacnoise . | King's County . | Sienna. | .. | ||
DONERAILE ... | Doneraile | Cork | Black . | .. | ... | Museum of Irish Industry, Dublin. |
DUNKERROW.. | ... | Black, white, purple, veined with green. | .. | .. | .. | |
GLANNAN .... | Glasslough | Monaghan | Black . | .. | .. | Takes a good polish. |
KlLKENNY ... | Kilkenny | Kilkenny | Do. | 1714 | .. | When dressed the figures of shells appear. |
KlNTAIL.. | Rathmullin | Donegal . | Do. | .. | .. | Rathmullin Pier. |
Letternaphy.. | Clifden . | Galway | Green | .. | ... | Rather coarse; works any size; exported. |
Limerick, several Quarries near.. | Limerick | Limerick . | Black . | .. | Used in London. | |
Mento.. | Galway . | Galway . | Do. | .. | ... | There are three beds. The middle is called the "London bed," and exported. Blocks 5 feet to 10 feet long and 4 feet to 5 feet wide. Sawn on the spot into slabs, etc. |
Merlin Park.. | Do. | Do. | Do. | .. | .. | .. |
Monte.. | ... | Meath | Grew | .. | .. | .. |
Pallas Kenry ..... | Limerick | Limerick . | Red | ... | ... | Spotted from embedded fossils; hard and laminated; takes and retains a good polish. |
TULLAMORE.. | Tullamore | King's County . | Grey | ... | ... | Some varieties clouded. Used for polished work, chimney-pieces, etc. |
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