SUSSEX MARBLE - Petworth, West Sussex

'SUSSEX MARBLE' 

120 million years old

Weald Clay (Cretaceous period)

Petworth, West Sussex

Sussex Marble is the name given to several limestones that were quarried in Surrey and Sussex from the earliest times up until about 1900.

It is packed full of fossil shells, mostly of freshwater snails, and is similar to the more widely used Purbeck Marble but it is a different age and contains larger fossils. Like Purbeck Marble it is not a true marble in the geological sense (true marbles are recrystallised by heat and pressure).

Sussex Marble was worked in several locations in the Weald and the stones were named after the place where they were quarried. This example is known as ‘Petworth Marble’.

Polished Sussex Marble was in great demand in Medieval times for church fonts, altar tables and tomb covers but also for columns and chimney pieces in prestigious country houses.

This is an excellent example of the stone, showing a cut and polished surface with natural surfaces at the base and the rear. The naturally flat base allows the stone to display well without the need for a stand.

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