BUILDING STONES, &C. 
15 
Building and Ornamental Stones. 
The prime object originally kept in view in the arrangement 
of the Hall of this Museum was the exhibition of specimens 
illustrating the application of the rocks of the British Islands to 
purposes of construction and decoration. It, therefore, contains 
primarily a British architectural collection. 
Most of the Building Stones are contained in a series of wall- 
cases erected against the western side of the Hall, near to the 
Jermyn Street frontage, and numbered I. to VI. These cases 
contain upwards of 250 specimens, uniformly dressed as six- 
inch cubes, and classified as limestones, dolomites and sandstones. 
These specimens are chiefly those which were collected by the 
Commissioners appointed in 1838 to select the most durable 
material for the construction of the Houses of Parliament. The 
Commission consisted of Sir Charles Barry, Sir Henry De la 
Beche, Dr. William Smith, and Mr. Charles H. Smith. The 
physical and chemical properties of the stones were examined 
by the late Professor Daniell and Sir Charles Wheatstone. 
The specimens submitted to the Commissioners, on which they 
reported ( Report of Building Stone Commission , 1 5th July 
1839), were, by order of tbe Lords of the Treasury, placed in 
this Museum, and the collection has since been augmented, 
partly by private donations and partly by contributions from 
the Geological Survey. 
On the opposite side is a smaller wall-case (numbered VII., 
VIII.) containing more than 60 cubes of unpolished granite and 
•other crystalline rocks serviceable for construction ; with which 
are also placed a few miscellaneous specimens. For a description 
of the sandstones, see p. 34 ; of the limestones, p. 30 ; of the 
dolomites, p. 33 ; and of the granites and elvans, pp. 16 to 21. 
The Ornamental Stones are represented by about 270 
polished specimens worked as six -inch cubes and exhibited in 
the table- cases (Nos. I., II., III.) on the east side of the Hall 
near the windows overlooking Jermyn Street. Moreover the 
utilisation of British rocks for decorative purposes is amply 
Illustrated by the large number of polished columns, pedestals, 
vases, slabs and other objects distributed effectively about the 
Hall. Even the walls are so decorated as to show the value of 
our native rocks for the artistic covering of mural surfaces. 
The wall-space on the eastern side of the Hall is decorated 
with a screen (A.) extending from the southern end to pilaster 
No. 30. In this screen designed by Mr. Charles F. Keeks, the 
^central panels are of Ballinahinch serpentinous marble, 
surrounded by grey Derbyshire marble, with running borders of 
guilloche and fretwork, the former of red Staffordshire marble 
.and Derbyshire anhydrite, the latter of similar red marble and 
Derbyshire stalagmite. The pilasters and architrave are of 
Lizard serpentine, whilst the base is of russet and bird’s-eye 
marble from Derbyshire. 
