Types of Stone
Choosing the type of stone for a grave memorial is an important decision, as many other aspects of the design will stem from that choice. Here is a brief guide. Our masons will, of course, be very happy to give you further advice.
Granite
Granite is the hardest memorial stone. This means that it will not weather over time and is very easy to keep clean. It is available in a wide variety of colours, and the surface may be polished, honed (smooth), sanded (slightly rough) or rustic (very rough). The surface finish can affect the colour quite dramatically, especially in dark granites.
Because of its hard, granular structure, granites are better suited to simple, bold designs, rather than fine, intricate work. Please note that in Church of England churchyards, only honed light or mid-grey granite may be used.
| Black Granite | Mudugal Grey Granite | |
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Polished |  |
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Honed |  |
| Some Granite Colours | ||
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| Black | Blue Pearl | Balmoral Red |
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| Dark Grey | Mudugal Grey | Lunar Grey |
Welsh Slate
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Welsh slate is one of the finest memorial stones 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. It is not available 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. |
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
Other Memorial Stones
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Cumbrian 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, so less vulnerable to scratches, and is more readily available. |
