Why Stone? Why Now?

Stone has a magic few other building materials can match. It’s incredibly old, created by fire, water and extreme pressures. It comes from the Earth and sits upon it with a clear statement that it’s here to stay. Ancient structures across the world testify to its immense durability and to humankind’s lasting love affair with this, one of the boldest and most beautiful of all natural materials.
Nothing shares the same variety of character, colour and texture. Nothing offers you a comparable palette, language and breadth of expression. Nothing can match the flexibility and integrity of stone. That’s why it remains head and shoulders above other building materials; why it’s as relevant today as it’s always been. That’s why and why now.

Your Choice

Though its variations seem almost endless, there are essentially only three different types of stone. The first two are created deep in the Earth’s crust – ‘igneous’ stones like granite are formed when molten magma is forced upwards into other rocks or blasted from volcanoes as lava and ash; ‘metamorphic’ stones like slate are formed when massively high temperatures and crushing pressures ‘re-crystalise’ minerals, changing one rock type into another. The third kind, ‘sedimentary’ stones like sandstone and limestone, are created when other rocks are eroded by wind, ice and water, and the fragments laid down elsewhere. Sandstone is cemented into layers; limestone is formed by the action of chemicals and living organisms. Together, these are among the most widely used, versatile and beautiful of all building stones.

Our Range

Stancliffe Stone Company Ltd specialises in sandstones and limestones. These are produced in our own quarries and processing sites from the English Midlands to the Scottish Lowlands, and range from beautiful buff-coloured Derbyshire gritstones to red sandstones from St.Bees and Locharbriggs; from Plumpton Red Lazonby salmon pink sandstone to the superb blue-grey Salterwath limestone. Stancliffe is the UK’s leading supplier of dimensional building stone, and to ensure that both quality and reliability of supply are maintained, we only offer stone which we have quarried and processed ourselves. Our expertise in this highly specialised field means that we’re uniquely well placed to help you find the stone you want, capable of satisfying the most rigorous criteria and translating into stunning building design.

Your Creativity

As a natural material, stone takes a little getting to know, and an appreciation of both the properties of individual stones and the way in which character and colour change with texture is essential, if you’re to get the best from it. But once understood, the look and feel that you’re aiming for can usually be realised in a number of ways. Individual stones, even from different parts of the same quarry, can vary in character enormously, and clearly,
the selection, properties and processing of a particular stone can dramatically affect both performance and aesthetics. So it’s important to work closely with your stone suppliers to find the solutions you’re looking for both functionally and visually, that will help bring your project to life.

Our Expertise

Stancliffe can offer a broad spectrum of character, colour and performance in stone, and are comfortable working either with traditional textures or new and bespoke finishes to provide you with a wide range of options. Working with a variety of materials can create tremendous opportunities, but it can also pose challenges, and we have the knowledge and resources to address and resolve any issues arising, and help turn your ideas into practical reality. Involving us at an early stage will assist in moving projects forward realistically and effectively, from establishing the suitability of individual stones to questions of availability, finish and fixing. It’s not unusual for requirements to change, and if we’re actively involved with the project team, we can keep the relevant people informed of the implications of change. So as far as it’s possible to do so, we can make sure that everything runs smoothly.

Your Art

There is a strong sense in which natural stone offers building designers the best of both worlds. It’s extraordinarily strong and durable,
yet at the same time, it can be extremely stylish and exceptionally beautiful. It’s capable of both lightness and gravitas; of making big, bold design statements and yet lending itself to extremely fine detailing. The character and qualities of sandstones and limestones in particular facilitate both the large and the small scale. They are equally effective in public and domestic buildings; in the broad sweep of architecture and construction, and also in the key design and feature elements which can contribute so much to the whole, and to a project’s individuality. With the appropriate expertise, all of these qualities can be fully realised. So you can execute whatever it is that you want to achieve.

Our Craftmanship

The experience and technical competence we can bring to bear on building in natural stone will help ensure that your stonework will be of the very highest quality – from selection to the finished job. Continued investment in craft skills and technology has put us at the forefront of the industry and coupled with sophisticated project support systems, enables us to deal with projects of all sizes and demands. In addition to our own expertise, our extensive contacts in the industry mean that we will also be able to point you in the right direction for all relevant sources of impartial advice about anything and everything to do with designing and working in stone. So you can feel confident that it will be absolutely right– exactly as you want it – down to the very last detail.

The Perfect Partnership

At Stancliffe Stone Company Ltd, we see our role as a facilitating one, providing stone as a raw material which can open up exceptional opportunities to the building designer. We are not designers ourselves and nor would we claim to be. But we do understand stone and the possibilities it offers, and we’re committed and enthusiastic about passing on that understanding to communicate and explore what stone can achieve. By sharing our understanding of the design, use and working of dimensional stone, we can help ensure that you’re in a position to ask the right questions and that key project discussions are informed discussions. And this in turn will help you realise your design effectively, economically, and to everyone’s satisfaction. Partners in the same process – of designing with stone.