When choosing a material for your memorial or headstone English stone isn’t always the first one that springs to mind. These days everything seems to come from China and the wider Far-East; memorials are no different. We make no secret of the fact many of the stones we supply are made in China and India. Even stones quarried around the wider world will often find themselves shipped East as rough blocks for further processing into slabs and finished masonry. 
Wouldn’t it be great if we could use more of our own stone, quarried in England or the wider UK, to produce more memorials? Along with reducing our carbon footprint there are often far more appropriate and interesting colours, textures and patination on offer with UK stone.
Everyone’s heard of Portland, York and Bath stones but what about Forest of Dean, Kent Rag or Red Lazonby Sandstone? There are several hundred quarries all over England actively delivering stone for building, flooring and cladding, so why not memorials? Of course some stones do not lend themselves to working into upstanding memorial stones but many more do than are commonly used. Even those which cannot be readily worked to recognisable shapes or take a polish can still produce stunning natural looking monuments – why not consider a boulder for instance?
At Burslem we would like to change the thought process around buying an off-the-shelf memorial and suggest you consider commissioning a carefully chosen stone, unique in geological appearance and form as well as by designation.
Over the coming months we’ll be taking a closer look on the blog at some of the ways Burslem is working with English stone to produce memorials for our clients, so watch this space.
Burslem’s experienced team will work with you to produce a unique tribute for your loved one. Contact the team for more information and to discover the options.
Cumbrian Green Slate from Burlington Quarries in the Lake District, ideal for churchyard and cemetery memorials in a huge range of shapes, sizes and patination.
