British decorative stones: finding the UK top ten

British geology reveals many good looking rocks, both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, some of which were once highly prized for their polished decorative uses. They were quarried, cut, shaped and finished in a locally‐based British decorative stone industry that flourished twice, first in the Middle Ages, based largely on Purbeck marble from Dorset and also alabaster from Derbyshire, and then again in the nineteenth century when diverse sources of coloured and textured stone were pursued to the far corners of the British Isles. Today only the finished products survive; the pillars, panels and pavement adorning some fine but dusty architecture, but the stones commonly languish unrecognized and unappreciated. This anonymity is quite out of line with the heritage status of their settings and it will take a bit more geological awareness to put that right. A recent project aimed at rediscovering just one regional category of British decorative stones, the Devonshire marbles, has revealed how diverse and extensively‐used the fuller range of British decorative stones actually is. Not only do they embellish buildings from the merely modest to some of our finest, they were latterly chosen, specified, designed and coordinated by some of our greatest architects. Much work needs to be done to recognize British decorative stones in architectural settings and to restore them to their proper place in our national heritage. It is hoped that this article will throw light on the task ahead.