The Story of Frosterley Marble

Rogerley was a very large, multi-tiered quarry that was worked as long as 700 years ago. From this quarry came a stone known as Frosterley Marble. Frosterley Marble is not a marble at all, but rather a black limestone containing substantial quantities of white, fossilized horn coral. This rock dates to the Carboniferous Period, some 325 million years ago, give or take a few million years. When cut and polished, Frosterley Marble forms a very attractive and ornate building stone -- one which was (and still is) highly prized throughout England. The decorative, interior columns of Durham Cathedral, for example, were emplaced circa 1350 and are made of Frosterley Marble. The marble is found in churches, cathedrals, and old buildings throughout England. A good example of Frosterley Marble "in action," so to speak, is the baptismal font located in the St. Michael abd All the Angels Church in Frosterley. The photograph of the font shows clearly the white fossil horn corals.