Slate headstones

Slate headstones

There are a number of slate outcrops across the British Isles. Each has its own particualr properties. In my monumental work I use Welsh slate and Cumbrian slate. Welsh slate is either purple or blue-greyin colour and tends to have a uniform texture with little surface variation, although it can sometimes contain some darker banding. The Cumbrian slates that I use are either blue-grey or green in colour. Green Cumbrian slate can have quite a mottled or banded surface.

Slate is an extremely hard, durable material which shows little sign of weathering over time. It is often given a polished – or honed – finish, which means that it doesn’t pick up much dirt or lichen. Because it is such a robust material, headstones made of slate can be thinner than those made of limestone or sandstone. Church and local authority regulations often allow slate headstones to be only 25mm (1 inch) thick, whereas limestone and sandstone memorials are required to be at least 75mm (3 inches) thick.
 
If a more natural effect is desired, slate headstones can be left with an unpolished, riven surface. This is the uneven surface that the slate naturally has when it is first split. I can source natural slate monoliths, unshaped by a quarry, which can work extremely effectively as headstones.
Slate headstone with floral border
Detail of slate headstone with floral border of
snowdrops and daffodils

Pierced headstone in Cumbrian slate

with low relief carving

Inscription carved round perimeter of slate headstone. The letters are painted after carving.

Natural shaped monolith headstone in Cumbrian slate
Natural shaped riven Welsh slate headstone
 
Welsh slate headstone
Welsh slate headstone with additional inscription on reverse
Cumbrian green slate headstone
Green slate headstone with inscription round the perimeter
Welsh slate headstone with gilded lettering
Cumbrian slate headstone with riven finish 
Cumbrian green slate headstone
Additional inscription and carving on headstone reverse
Large Welsh slate recumbent memorial with cat carving
 
Welsh slate headstone with bluebells carved round perimeter
 
Welsh slate headstone with Celtic knotwork detail and gilded lettering
Welsh slate headstone with incised border
Cumbrian slate headstone with Gothic style inscription and carved cross
Detail of cross carved in Cumbrian slate 
Cumbrian slate memorial with Celtic style inscription
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