Portland stone

E88343

Portland stone is a durable, fine-grained limestone from the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, widely used as a prestigious building material in British architecture.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
Portland Stone 0 1

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf building stone
limestone
sedimentary rock
category Building stone of the United Kingdom
Limestone of England
color cream
white
composedPrimarilyOf calcium carbonate
contains fossil fragments
country United Kingdom
exportedTo Europe
United States NERFINISHED
formationEnvironment shallow marine
geologicalAge Tithonian
geologicalPeriod Jurassic
hasQuarryingIndustry Portland stone quarries
hasStandard British Standard for building stone (applicable classifications)
influenced London’s architectural character
locatedIn Dorset NERFINISHED
England
Isle of Portland
notableUse Bank of England
surface form: Bank of England (parts of the building)

British Museum
surface form: British Museum (portions of the building)

Buckingham Palace principal façade redesign
surface form: Buckingham Palace (extensions and refacing)

National Gallery
surface form: National Gallery (London, parts of the structure)

Somerset House, London
surface form: Somerset House

St Paul's Cathedral
surface form: St Paul’s Cathedral

The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London
surface form: The Cenotaph in Whitehall

United Nations Headquarters
surface form: United Nations Headquarters (New York, exterior cladding)
partOf Jurassic Coast
property durable
good weather resistance
uniform texture
quarriedIn Dorset NERFINISHED
Isle of Portland
regulates building stone supply from Isle of Portland (through quarrying controls)
rockType oolitic limestone
texture fine-grained
usedAs building material
cladding material
ornamental stone
usedIn British architecture
London architecture
churches
government buildings
monuments
prestigious public buildings
valuedFor aesthetic appearance
durability in urban environments
workability

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Portland, Dorset, England knownFor Portland stone
Wellington Arch material Portland stone
Winfield House material Portland stone
Belfast City Hall materialUsed Portland stone
Broadcasting House materialUsed Portland stone
Late Jurassic notableFossilSite Portland stone
this entity surface form: Portland Stone