Guide to the Decorative Stone in the Natural
History Museum
Gordon Walkden
Diana Clements
David Smith
Ruth Siddall
Earth Galleries
1. Central star and surrounds
in Lobby area
2. Arch
3. Marble Table
Life Galleries
Decorative Windowsills in
Cadogan Gallery
Decora(veStoneintheEarthGalleries
TheGeologyMuseuminSouthKensingtonwasbuiltin1938tohousethena:onalcollec:onof
geologicalspecimensheldbytheIns:tuteofGeologicalSciences(nowtheBri:shGeological
Survey)thathadoutgrownitsformerhomeinJermynStreet.TheexteriorisbuiltofPortland
StonebutthegrandentrancetoExhibi:onRoadisdecoratedbyanimpressivearrayof
ornamentalstonesfromtheBri:shIsles.
1.CentralstarandsurroundsintheLobbyarea
RefertodiagramforkeytoleLers(sketchbyAlanTimms).
houtermoststarofpink/redbrecciated‘marble’withcrinoidsandstylolites.CorkRed
Marble,?Li1leIsland,EarlyCarboniferous,(stainedfromDevonianbeneath)
ablacklimestonestrips(asbaseofwalls)withoccasionfossilfragmentsofcorals
andbrachiopods.EarlyCarboniferous,probablyfromKilkenny,Ireland
bgreylimestonewithcrinoidstemscutindifferentorienta:onsandstylolitesalsoonstairs),
EarlyCarboniferous,Wirksworth,Derbyshire
cbuffLimestone(asonthewalls)butwithoutthe‘BirdsEyes’,EarlyCarboniferous,
HoptonwoodLimestone,Derbyshire
dcircleofKirklstoneGreenSlatefromPe1’sQuarry,KirklandPass,LakeDistrictOrdovician.
Notebandsofcoarserlapilliandotherstructuresinthiswater-lainvolcanictuff
ebufflimestone.Thoughttobethesameas(c)EarlyCarboniferous,HoptonwoodLimestone,
Derbyshire
fcentralstarofgreenConnemaraMarble,fromthewestofIreland,Precambrian
gouterstarofpalebufflimestone.ProbablyHadeneLimestone,Derbyshire,Early
Carboniferous,
houtermoststarofpink/redbrecciated‘marble’withcrinoidsandstylolites,CorkRedMarble,
?Li1leIsland,EarlyCarboniferous(stainedfromDevonianbeneath)
Decora(veArchwayarea
aFlooringofbufflimestonewithSyringoporaandProductus.Hoptonwood,Early
Carboniferous,Derbyshire
b GreenConnemaraMarblefromthewestofIreland.AlatePrecambriantruemarble.
c KitleyGreen,DevonianmarblefromDevonshireshowingtensiongashes
d GreyPeOtorDevonianmarblefromTorquayarea
e DarkgreyPurbeckMarble(Jurassic/CretaceousTransiOon)beneathironrailingson
stairs,withfossilsoffreshwatersnails(Viviparous)andbivalves(Unio)
f Wallingatedgeofstaircase,greyAshburtonDevonianmarblewithcoralsincluding
Thamnoporaandstromatoporoids.Theslabsareshotthroughwithcalciteand
hema:te-stainedveins.
g Treadsofstairsbuff,shellyandburrowedHoptonwoodLimestone,EarlyCarboniferous,
Derbyshire
ThankstoAlanTimms(1)whooriginatedthisresearchanddrewthediagrams.Alsoto
JohnWilliams(1)andMonicaPrice(4)
References(5)OHMSpublica:on,1964andotheredi:ons:TheGeologyMuseum:Ashort
guidetotheExhibits.
TheKensingtonTableontheMezzanine
GordonWalkden,AberdeenUniversity
TheKensingtonTableisinscribed‘DEVONSHIREMARBLES’anditisprobablethatthisistheprizewinningtableexhibitedbyJohnWoodleyattheGreatExhibi:onof1851inHydePark.
117
41
115
31
21
67
123
03
Thetableisornamenteden:relywithDevonshireMarblessetintoablacksurroundof
CarboniferouslimestoneprobablyfromeitherDerbyshireorBelgium.Therearenodiagnos:c
fossilstodeterminewhich.ThepedestalisDevonshireMarbleprobablyfromtheAshburton
quarries,asinthewallpanelsofthemezzanine.
Centrepiece
whiteAlveolitescoral,Babbacombe,Devon
Inset
6x3Dboxesofred,yellowandgreyPe:tor,Babbacombe,Devon.Thegreyvarietyhasstriking
Thamnoporasp.corals(BradleyWoods‘featherstone’).
InnerRing
garlandof12rareothocone(fossilcephalopods)inaredmatrixfromPe:torwith‘darts’ofwhite
Thamnopora rudstone betweeneach(egganddartarrangement)
MiddleRing
24radialstones,scallopedontheoutersurface,ofPe:torreefandnear-reefrocks,highligh:ngthe
variabilityofthestonesfromthePe:torBreccia,mainlyfrombeachesandquarriesaroundPe:tTor
Down,Babbacombe.Remnantfossilscanbeseenin:
115RugosecoralHaplotheciasp
117Coraldebrisbeachdepositwithblack‘slime’thatgrewbeneath(‘ShadowRock’)
123Reef-frontflatstonysponges(fawn)withseawater-precipitatesinbetween(grey/white).Pe:tot
YellowBand
YellowcloudedPe:tor
OuterRing
72outer:erplaqueLes.Remnantcoralscanbeseenin:
03TabulatecoralCrassialveolitessp.
21RugosecoralEndophyllumsp.
31TabulatecoralHeliolitessp.
41Coraldebrisbeachdeposit
67TabulatecoralThamnoporasp.(BradleyWoods‘featherstone’)
WindowsillsonpublicdisplayinTreasuresexhibi(on,CadoganGallery
Thereare46windowsillsofpolishedornamentalstonesurroundingtheatriumthatisnowthe
WaterhousecafébehindtheHintzeHall.Theyarethoughttohavebeenpartoftheoriginal
Waterhousedesignof1881.Mostofthestonesusedare‘marbles’,eithertruemarblesorshelly
limestonesthattakeagoodpolish.ThesearemainlyearlyCarboniferousinagefromtheBri:sh
IsleswithDevonianexamplesfromDevonandBelgium.OtherstonescomefromItalyandtheAlps.
OnlythoseintheTreasuresExhibiOonintheCadoganGalleryarecurrentlyonshowtothepublic.
1BlackCrinoidallimestone,var.‘BirdsEye’,E.
Carboniferous,probablyfromAshford,Derbyshire
2AmmoniOcoRossogroup,typicallyVerona,Italy
3Devonshiremarblewiththick-shelledbrachiopods
4SerpenteniteVerdediGenova,Genoa,Liguria,Italy
5UncertainEuropeanbrecciamarblesimilarto
DiasporotenerodiSicilia
6  KilkennyMarblewithsmallbrachiopodsE.
CarboniferousLimestoneCountyKilkenny,Ireland
7  CorkRedLimestoneE.CarboniferousLiLleIsland,
CountyCork,Ireland
8ConnemaraMarblePrecambrian,CountyGalway,
Ireland
9ADevonshiremarble,likelytobeaPeOtorvariety
fromPe:tTorQuarry,StMarychurch,Devon
10FrosterlyMarbleE.Carboniferous,CountyDurham
withDibunophyllumbiparOtumcorals
11CorkRedLimestoneE.CarboniferousLiLleIsland,
CountyCork,Ireland
12BlackLimestone,?AshfordBlackDerbyshire,E.
Carboniferous(orGalwayorBelgium)
13StAnne’sMarbleDevonian,Gougines,Namur,
Belgium
14RougeRoyalLateDevonian,MeuseRegion,
Belgium 15PortoroMarbleTriassic,LaSpezia,Liguria,Italy
16Brechviole1eMarbleSerravezza,Tuscany,Italy
17RossoLavantoserpentenite,Liguria,Italy
18MetamorphosedbrecciapossiblyMischiodi
Serravezza,Stazzema,Italy
19.BardiglioMarbleTuscany,Italy
20CarraraMarbleArabescaLovariety,Italy