Devonshire marbles: history of the industry and the geology of these classic British ornamental stones

Devonshire ‘marbles’ come from Mid– to Late Devonian limestones of south Devon, UK. They are not true marbles in the geological sense but were nonetheless tectonically buried during the Variscan orogenesis. They retain abundant palaeontological and sedimentological characters, overstamped by limited to extensive veining, deformation and brecciation. Recent work has revealed how these marbles have been used to decorate a wealth of buildings in Britain and overseas. There were two distinct industries, one that produced decorative marble for architectural use, and one that produced portable artefacts such as specimen marble tables and ornaments. The stones used in these two sister industries can be very different, a result of different sourcing of the same Devonshire limestones. A third industry sought to slice and polish local limestone pebbles to reveal their diverse coral, stromatoporoid and other fossil contents, and was aimed at tourists, collectors and museums. The history and early development of the marble industry are explored and the distinct characteristics of the stones used in Devonshire marble inlay are explained. The stones used in the parallel architectural trade are analysed elsewhere.