Dent Marble
Sedimentary rock | |
Composition | |
---|---|
Crinoidal limestone |
Dent Marble is a highly polished form of limestone which occurs in the Dentdale district of Cumbria in England. The stone is noted for the presence of fossils which gives it its distinctive look. The stone is actually a crinoidal limestone and is not a true marble, but is known as a marble because it polished quite well. Dent Marble has been used for staircases, floors and hearths in railway stations and large buildings in England, Australia and Russia. The trade died out when import tariffs on Italian marble were relaxed, and Dent Marble became less popular.
History
The limestone was discovered to be of use as a decorative stone about 1760, and production of the polished stone as marble flourished. By 1810, water-powered mills were being used to drive the marble-cutting saws at High Mill, and the polishing works at Low Mill.
Dent Marble was originally cut at High Mill, and polished at Low Mill works in the dale prior to being used.[6] Both mills were located on Artengill Beck, with High Mill being nearer to Arten Gill Viaduct,[note 1] and used water power to enable cutting of the stone,[7] with the mill-wheel at High Mill being 60 feet (18 m) in diameter.[8] Low mill was previously used for carding cotton before being repurposed for the Dent Marble industry,[9] and collectively, the two mills were known as the Stone House Marble Works; Stone House being the hamlet the two mills were located in.[2] The hamlet saw an increase in population, with a special mention in census returns detailing the numbers involved.[10]
In 1835,
Exporting the marble from Dentdale was difficult, and had to be done by pack-horse trains to the
Later, use of imported Italian marble supplanted the use of Dent Marble, as the import tariffs on that stone were relaxed.
Geology
The limestone used is particular to the area, and is called a crinoidal limestone, a dark stone with a high carbon content and laced with the white fossils of sea-lilies.[8][18][19] Various types of limestone were worked from the local beds; a white stone, a black stone and a grey stone, all of which were usd in the industry.[20] Often, these would be put together for flooring to produce a chequered pattern, with large amounts being exported to Australia. The back and grey flooring was used in the Church of St Andrew in Dent.[21]
Notable use
Several railway stations on the Settle–Carlisle line (including Dent) had a Dent Marble fireplace installed in them.[4][22] Other notable uses include;
- Arten Gill Viaduct[23]
- A staircase in Cartwright Hall, Bradford[24]
- St Andrew's Church, Dent - the floor of the chancel is made from Dent Marble in a black and white chequer pattern[25]
- Hearth of the St Petersburg[26]
- Ingleborough Hall, Clapham, North Yorkshire - the staircase, columns, and fireplace are made from Dent Marble[27][13]
- St Peter's Church, Field Broughton - the font is carved from Dent Marble[28]
- The staircase of Owen's College in Manchester[13]
- The staircases of the Inns of Court in London[13]
- The chancel floor of Church of All Souls, Bolton[29]
Notes
- ^ The beck is known as Artengill, but the railway records the viaduct above it as Arten Gill.
References
- ^ ISBN 0715387022.
- ^ a b c Lennie 2005, p. 79.
- ISSN 0011-5800.
- ^ a b Mitchell 1999, p. 81.
- ^ Lennie 2005, pp. 78–79.
- OCLC 320191804.
- ISBN 0-9508448-8-8.
- ^ ISBN 1-84306-209-7.
- ^ a b Dennison & Richardson 2007, p. 1.
- OCLC 5285514.
- ^ Lennie 2005, p. 81.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/669. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d Lennie 2005, p. 80.
- ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, pp. 146–148.
- ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, pp. 146–149.
- ^ Dennison & Richardson 2007, p. 14.
- ^ Historic England. "Stone House Dent (Grade II) (1383941)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Mitchell 1999, p. 5.
- ^ Lennie 2005, p. 78.
- ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 146.
- ^ "The Cumbrian Dales" (PDF). archive.yorkshiredales.org.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ISBN 0749520604.
- ^ "Engineering Timelines - Arten Gill Viaduct". www.engineering-timelines.com. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 149.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (Grade I) (1383978)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "History of Yorkshire | Dent Village Heritage Centre". museumsintheyorkshiredales.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 122.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Peter (Grade II*) (1349025)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Bowman, Jamie (12 September 2020). "Heritage Open Days go online as Bolton's historic secrets are uncovered". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
Sources
- Conservation Area Appraisals in the Yorkshire Dales National Park Settle-Carlisle Railway (PDF). outofoblivion.org (Report). 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- Dennison, Ed; Richardson, Shaun (2007). "Stone House hamlet and marble works, Dentdale, Cumbria". Ed Dennison Reports. doi:10.5284/1002927.
- ISBN 1870071727.
- Lennie, Stuart (2005). The roof of Wensleydale : a portrait of Wensleydale's two thousand foot fells. Kirkby Stephen: Hayloft. ISBN 1-904524-30-3.
- Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester, West Sussex: Phillimore. ISBN 1860770886.