Pennant Sandstone quarried in South Wales and the Forest of Dean is a hard-wearing, durable sandstone, ideal for memorials and headstones. It cuts very crisply and so is very well suited to deeper relief carvings and lettering.

Pennant sandstone comes in a variety of colours: grey-green, blue-grey and mixed colour. It is also possible to source a red sandstone, either locally or from St Bees in Cumbria.

Another sandstone that I use in memorial work is York Stone, which again is very durable. It is a regular buff colour with a close-grained texture.