Purbeck marble

British  

/ ˈpɜːbɛk /

noun

1. a fossil-rich limestone that takes a high polish: used for building, etc

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Etymology

Origin of Purbeck marble

C15: named after Purbeck, Dorset, where it is quarried

Example Sentences

Yet as I stand in the circular nave, surrounded by a ring of dark Purbeck marble columns, I feel as though I’m being watched.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2016

During the excavations in the "Round," a magnificent Purbeck marble sarcophagus, the lid decorated with a foliated cross, was dug up and re-interred.

From Old and New London Volume I by Thornbury, Walter

Purbeck marble is famous through its frequent use by the architects of many of the most famous Gothic churches in England.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6 "Dodwell" to "Drama" by Various

The screens to the gallery before the clerestory lancets have a main arch in each bay, with dog-tooth moulding, divided into three by Purbeck marble shafts placed the width of the window apart.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Rochester A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Palmer, G. H. (George Henry)

The cover-stone of the tomb is Purbeck marble, and on it are the indents of a knight and lady, but not of large size.

From The Strife of the Roses and Days of the Tudors in the West by Rogers, William Henry Hamilton