Stone in Archaeology Database

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Lulworth. Upper Purbeck, Upper Cypris Clays and Shales Member. The 'marble' occurs as two thin beds near the top of the Upper Purbeck. The beds do not exceed 1.2m and are seldom more than 0.3m (Ashurst & Dimes 1990: 113).

The stone is greenish in colour and sometimes even has a reddish tint due to the presence of iron oxide. When exposed to the elements the surface of the stone tends to turn cream (and can weather badly), hence this stone is usually reserved for interior use. The stone can take a high polish but this can be lost over time and become pitted (Palmer 1996).

A hard, dark limestone composed largely of the fossilised shells of the small freshwater gastropod (viviparus cariniferus). The whole bed is filled with these closely packed circular fossil shells each about 6-8mm across set in a fine-grained matrix.

There is a huge wealth of information on Purbeck Marble (see bibliography), however due to the constraints of this resource I can add only a general account.