Hopton Wood stone

Oscar Wilde's tomb

Hopton Wood stone (sometimes Hopton-Wood stone or Hoptonwood stone) is a type of limestone quarried west of Middleton-by-Wirksworth, Derbyshire, England.[1] Described as "very fine, almost like marble"[2] and as "England’s premier decorative stone",[3] it is particularly suited to carving, making it popular for tombstones (including many thousands for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission[2][3]), sculpture and building.

Buildings and structures made using Hopton Wood stone include the Houses of Parliament,[4] Westminster Abbey, the Albert Memorial,[4] Lichfield Cathedral,[4] Calke Abbey,[4] Chatsworth House[1] and Oscar Wilde's tomb.[5]

In 1947 the Hopton-Wood Stone Firms Ltd commissioned a book about Hopton Wood stone, published by Fanfare press.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Bright Stone: Hopton Wood". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "WIRKSWORTH Parish Records 1608–1899 – Hopton Stone". Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Ian A. "Hopton Wood Stone – England's premier decorative stone" (PDF). England's Heritage in Stone Proceedings of a Conference Tempest Anderson Hall, York 15–17 March 2005: 90–105. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d "Hopton Wood Limestone". Lowes Marble and Granite. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  5. ^ Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0704901131.
  6. ^ "The Book". Retrieved 2 May 2013.