| P number: | P201292 |
|---|---|
| Old photograph number: | A01303 |
| Caption: | Purbeck Stone Quarry or Quarr, Swanage, Dorset. Looking north. |
| Description: | The Isle of Purbeck is the only area in Britain where the limestone known as Purbeck Marble. occurs. This is not true marble but a fossiliferous limestone which is hard enough to be polished to produce a shiny, marble-like finish. The arduous job of winning the limestone was carried out from shallow inclined shafts which led into narrow galleries lit only by candlelight. The limestone was quarried underground via a series of inclined shafts leading down to the limestone beds. A horse-powered capstan was used to raise each cart, laden with limestone, to the surface where the stone could be dressed by the masons. Historically, the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset is an important area for the quarrying of building limestone. The local houses are commonly constructed of Purbeck or Portland Stone. The area is also the source of the famous Purbeck Marble, a dark fossiliferous limestone used decoratively in many historic churches and cathedrals in southern England. |
| Date taken: | 17/10/1911 |
| Photographer: | Rhodes, J. |
| Copyright statement: | Crown |
| X longitude/easting: | 402500 |
| Y latitude/northing: | 78500 |
| Coordinate reference system, ESPG code: | 27700 (OSGB 1936 / British National Grid) |
| Orientation: | Landscape |
| Size: | 229.58 KB; 1000 x 720 pixels; 85 x 61 mm (print at 300 DPI); 265 x 190 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Average Rating: | Not yet rated |
| Categories: | Best of BGS Images/ Images from the archives, Geoscience subjects/ Economic geology/ Quarries, Geoscience subjects/ Economic geology/ Building stones, limestone |
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