Charlecote Park From the Ebony Bedroom Crinoid Fossils At the foot of the bed there is an ebony table. The Charlecote file card says : Ebony table with marble top; turned legs and stretchers en suite with writing table. It is used to display photographs and two photograph albums. A visitor pointed out that the marble top was actually extracted from a fossil bed of sea lilies (Crinoids). This animal is still extant and belongs to the same family as starfish and sea urchins. The sea lily has a body on a stalk and gathers its planktonic food with long feather-like arms that bear tube feet (just like those on star-fish). As the table top has been cut and smoothed these arms and tube feet have been sliced through leaving the appearance of rows of holes. In the photographs below you can see a stalk and sections through the arms.                                             Stalk Arms with tube feet

Len Mullenger is a Sunday volunteer guide. Any comments are welcome and can be sent to len@musicweb-international.com

Return to Index page