Dent Marble

Dent Marble
Black Marble
Sedimentary rock
In the foreground, a narrow road going over a stone bridge with trees without leaves at the sides. In the background, steep hills with a railway viaduct straddling a gap
The hamlet of Stone House, where the two mills were located
Composition
Crinoidal limestone

Dent Marble is a highly polished form of limestone which occurs in the Dentdale district of Cumbria in England. The stone is noted for the presence of fossils which gives it its distinctive look. The stone is actually a crinoidal limestone and is not a true marble, but is known as a marble because it polished quite well. Dent Marble has been used for staircases, floors and hearths in railway stations and large buildings in England, Australia and Russia. The trade died out when import tariffs on Italian marble were relaxed, and Dent Marble became less popular.