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Archiver > GENBRIT > 2001-04 > 0986585103


From: Kay Robinson <>
Subject: Re: Ashford Black Marble was Re: If you can't find the MI.....
Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2001 20:25:03 +0100
References: <3AC6D46A.B4372DDC@virgin.net>


On 1 Apr 2001 00:11:23 -0700, (Guy Etchells)
wrote:

>Did your encyclopaedia not mention re-crystallised or re-crystallisation
>in its description of marble, my understanding is that the metamophic
>changes within the bitumin and limestone does not result in the
>re-crystallisation of the rock.
>Cheers
>Guy

Quote:

Marble; a hard limestone which takes on a brilliant polish and is used
for ornaments and statuary etc. The colour varies. Most modern
statuary marble is quarried at Carrara, Italy although others have
historically been quarried as onyx in Algeria, green serpentine in
Ireland, Itlay and Greece and Ashford black in England.

Collins Doubleday 1959

Royse in The Geology of the Peak District (1878) refers to Ashford
black marble "the finest example of this [black variety] to be found
anywhere in the world...sadly in short supply and so far to expensive
for use in all but the most important monuments".

There are a good few notable monuments around Derbyshire which
employed the black marbles of Ashford and Monyash and even one to the
founder (Henry Watson) of the Rookery Wood Mine in Ashford church.
Some fine pieces are to be seen at Chatsworth.

Don Edwards describes the working of Ashford stone as "the height of
craftmanship" when it comes to lapidary, often being inlaid with
bright other local stones such as 'Blue John' (from Castleton) and
imported marbles from other areas, malachite and lapis lazuli.

He (Don Edwards) also refers to the Ashford variety as 'bitumenous',
however, black bitumenous limestone with the appearance of black
basalt is to be found immediately above the lower shell bed in the
Stony Middleton area and this is certainly *not* the same material

Other marbles from the locality were rosewood marble (Ashford) and
birds-eye marble (containing white coral) from Wetton. There was also
a red (rosso marble) variety, mined in one of the Devonshire's mines.

All told, the variety of different ornamental stone (besides the
aformentioned) found in the Peak District is quite amazing for such a
relatively small area and include; oakstone, jasper, rock crystal,
amethyst, agate, smokey quartz, gypsum and not to mention the best
known and most common, 'Derbyshire alabaster'.

I'm no geologist and therefore can only write of what I've read and
seen for myself and having read or listened to such a wide variety of
theories about the 'creation' of the 'white peak' from geologists I'm
hard put to to decide which of them is right..

Hope this helps..

Kay

All replies to newsgroup thank you
--------------------------------------------
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we ever do evil that good may come of it.
Force may subdue, but Love gains, and he
that forgives first wins the laurel.

William Penn 1644-1718
-----------------------------------------
Kay Robinson
Give all you can, Take only what you need

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