Welsh Slate
Welsh slate is without doubt the finest memorial stone available. Impervious to water, it will not weather over time and is easy to keep clean. It is very easy to carve, and therefore suitable for fine letter design and carvings.
Because of its layered structure, it is particularly suitable for ‘monolith’ headstones. The edges may be left rough (‘riven’) for a more dramatic effect. It is not appropriate for designs requiring thicker masses of stone, e.g. very thick headstones or kerb sets.
Because of the complexities of extracting fine welsh slate, it is relatively expensive, compared to the other stones we offer. We would be happy to provide a no-obligation quotation on any Welsh slate design.

Limestones
The main types of limestone we use for memorials are Nabresina from Italy, Portland stone from Dorset and Purbeck, also from Dorset. They are all fine memorial stones, suitable for relief carving and hand-carved lettering. All limestones are porous, which means they will require regular cleaning to stay in good condition.

Nabresina
One of the hardest limestones available, Nabresina is a light grey/ beige colour, with a characteristic array of small shells in its structure. It is the only limestone suitable for leaded lettering.

Portland
Used for centuries for fine buildings and memorials,
Portland is a quintessentially English stone. Pale cream in colour, it is fine-grained and easy to carve.

Purbeck
Another traditional English stone, Purbeck is available with a highly characteristic figure of large fossil fragments, or as a ‘Freestone’ which is almost free of shell. It is a very fine quality stone, but also relatively expensive.

York Stone
York stone is a grey/brown sandstone popular for use in churchyards. A relatively coarse-grained stone, it suits bold lettering and design. It also requires regular cleaning to prevent the build-up of algae, etc.

White Marble
Marble is a classic memorial stone suitable for leaded lettering. It has a fine, crystalline structure, which makes it good for relief carving and hand-cut lettering. Marble requires regular cleaning to stay in good condition.

Westmoreland Green Slate
Like Welsh slate this is an excellent memorial stone, long-lasting and good to carve. It is a harder stone than Welsh slate, and so less vulnerable to scratches.