Sussex Marble

Sussex Marble ( German: Sussex marble ), also called Petworth Marble or Winklestone, is a limestone, which is referred to as marble because it can be polished and was named historically. Gesteinskundlich there is no marble, because marbles are metamorphic ( converted ) rocks. In West Sussex This limestone was formed in fresh water. Sussex marble has art and architectural history important for churches in southern England.

Geology and occurrence

The deposits of the Sussex Marble originated in the area of Sussex before about 85 to 60 million years ago in a warm sea and in the period before 60 to 2.3 million years ago in the change of formation of lakes and tropical estuaries. This limestone is composed mainly of fossil gastropods and Viviparus snails. The fossilized snails are quite larger than those that reside in the Purbeck Marble, and it also differs with its bright carbonated fragments of shell in dark stone material.

The production had concentrated in the area of the estate of the Earl of Egremont at Kirdford, where there were stone masons in the village of Plaistow. Furthermore, the rock was mined at Petworth and North Chapel and smaller deposits in other places.

Historical use

The profiled building stone of the nave of the cathedral of Chichester ( 1076 ) are both made of Purbeck Marble and from Sussex Marble, the last pillar of the upper triforium show remains of shattered shells.

Sussex Marble was used at Westminster Abbey outside, but also inside the Chapel of Edward the Confessor (1004-1066), for the grave sites of Edward III (1312-1377) and Richard II (1367-1400) and his wife, from the gray " Petworth Marble " are made. The seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral is formed from a piece of Sussex Marble.

Sussex Marble was used for fireplaces in Petworth House, a mansion.

In the early 18th century Sussex Marble was in competition with many natural stones, which are usually imported from the continent.

Today

This limestone is not available today and for about 200 years of restoration work from Sussex Marble stones are replaced in Purbeck Marble, which is also a weathering resistant. The extraction and processing of this limestone no longer takes place for a long time, although the time on the border between Surrey and Sussex new rock deposits are uncovered by construction.

The quality of this natural stone discovered by the British sculptor Jon Edgar again after a period of nearly 200 years and is still processing residues present ornamental sculptures. He reactivated while the processing methods of this natural stone and the strengths and weaknesses of this material is aware.