Marble and Marble Working; A Handbook for Architects, Sculptors, Marble Quarry Owners and Workers, and All Engaged in the Building and Decorative Industries (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909 Excerpt: ...and a careful examination of the exterior shows no trace either of disintegration or of absorption of atmospherical impurities. The colour tone is retained throughout, and the building presents a marked contrast to others in the immediate vicinity, the fronts of which have become blackened from exposure. The material appears to be most suitable for use for building purposes in large centres of population, where the majority of building stones either disintegrate or speedily present a grimy appearance. With regard to the weathering properties of HoptonWood, the front of the Moot Hall, Wirksworth, contains three panels (two of them carved in relief), dating from 1818. The detail is as clear as when first executed, and the characteristic markings of the marble are readily identifiable from a photograph (see Fig. 41). The material has been employed in London for the pedestal of the Gordon Memorial in Trafalgar Square, W.C., erected in 1905, and for window-sills, jambs, and heads at 47, Belgrave Square, S.W. At the time of writing it appears to have weathered well. Hopton-Wood is a suitable material for interior work, whether constructional or decorative, being available either for masonry or as a veneer of thin slabs. The distinction between the light and. dark varieties is sufficiently pronounced to afford a pleasing contrast, and as the surface does not take a brilliant polish, the subdued effect secured by its use is chaste rather than ornate. Alabaster is found in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, the principal deposits being at Fauld, near Tutbury. The Derbyshire deposits are mainly worked for the manufacture of plaster of Paris, and as sound, well-figured blocks are secured, they are set aside for sale for purposes of decoration. Fig. ii. The marbles of Iona ...