EDO5324 - West Street, Corfe Castle; observations during the laying of water mains in 1924

During the laying of a water main along West Street in 1924, deep layers of Purbeck Marble chippings were exposed. No mouldings or foliations were observed, although there were several broken off angles of slabs with dressed upper surfaces, as well as a roughed out fragment of a circular column dating from the 13th century. Two carved panels dating from the 15th-16th centuries have also been built into the walls of cottages on the west side of West Street. Hutchins also mentions the uncovering of a deep layer of marble debris, ten to twelve feet thick containing carved fragments and chips exposed during excavations along West Street. West Street would appear to have been at the epicentre of the Purbeck Marble stone carving industry during the 13th-16th centuries at least.