Purbeck stone in West Street, Corfe Castle

Purbeck stone when newly quarried is bright cream in colour; this gradually mellows and darkens over the years.

The stone wall of the house to the left of this photo is no more than forty years old, and its roof is of synthetic Purbeck stone tiles. The darkest stone in the photo is that of the tower of the parish church of St Edward, King and Martyr, dating back to the perpendicular Gothic period.

The vertical coping stones seen just in front of the house to the left and topping the wall to the left of the house on the right are known locally as "cocks and hens".