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

See Examples For:

Purbeck marble

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

It has good mouldings,—springing from the capitals of two Purbeck marble shafts, of which the eastern has unfortunately been broken away,—and the dripstone terminates in a head, so mutilated that the face is quite lost.

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)

In the churchyard, near the porch, is a large broken Purbeck marble stone, probably removed from the pavement of the Chantry 9 within.

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

Its finely groined roof is held up by a central clustered column of Purbeck marble.

From Cathedral Cities of England by Gilbert, George

The nave pillars have Purbeck marble shafts, with beautifully foliated capitals, and the clerestory is pierced with seventeen small archlets, alternately blind and light.

From Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely by Conybeare, Edward