Hands-on With Natural Slate

Last year I spent three days at a slate mine in northern Spain. The visit covered the full journey of the material, from extraction through processing and grading to the finished products. I tried my hand at some manual slate splitting, and left with a deeper understanding of why material quality and specification matter in conservation work.

Natural slate remains a significant material in roofing across Scotland. The challenge is that traditional Scottish slate is no longer produced, leaving a gap for conservation projects where material matching is critical. Imported slate, carefully specified in thickness, texture and colour, can be accepted as a compatible substitute where reclaimed or redressed slate is not suitable.

However, the longer-term answer may be closer to home. Work is underway to try to revive a small slate production facility on the Isle of Luing in Argyll after its closure sixty years ago – a development I’ll be watching closely.

Understanding materials at source – where they come from, how they are made and how they perform – is part of what good conservation specification requires. To find out more on conservation, material specification and Listed Building Consent in Scotland visit the FAQs page or get in touch if you have a query.