Often small in scale, but intricate in detail, the alabaster carvings emanating from Nottinghamshire in the 14th and 15th centuries remain some of the best examples of the art in the world.
Alabaster is a form of gypsum (calcium suphate). It looks like marble, but is much softer and easier to work. It is translucent white in colour but sometimes veined in red (recalling the tones of human flesh), and proved an ideal medium for fashioning devotional pieces and tombstone effigies.
Click on the individual pages below to find out more
See also our section on Gypsum mining in Nottinghamshire
Alabaster at Flawford
Unearthed at a Lost Village
Alabaster at Hoveringham
The tomb of Sir Robert Goushill