HeadStone Choices Provided by Stoneletters.com

 

There is a long tradition of hand carved headstones in the UK although with the arrival of machinery they were largely displaced by cheaper sandblasted granite headstones. There has however been a revival in the tradition following the Arts and Crafts movement and the influence of people like Eric Gill.

 

 

As all of our headstones are individually commissioned an unique, there is no catalogue to choose from, but below is a guide to the main types of headstones we make.  Most of the stones are sourced from the UK and we do not use polished marble or granite; for these you will need to use a monumental mason.

 

 

Slate is a wonderful material to work with and it takes very small detailed carvings and lettering.  It weathers slowly and will still be readable in many years to come.  We used honed (unpolished ) Cumbrian grey slate and often finish the letters with a light wash of paint.

 

 

Green Slate is a wonderful green grey colour with natural lines running through it, and it also takes fine lettering.

 

 

We use Portland limestone as it is one of the most traditional materials for headstones.  It needs larger, bolder lettering, but it weathers gradually and looks very natural in a churchyard.  Sometimes when smaller, more detailed carving is needed,  we use an imported limestone called Nabresina.

 

 

Children's headstones are made from the same materials as the adult headstones.  Sometimes children's headstones might have child like lettering  but this is not always appropriate.

 

 

We  make fine pebble shaped headstones for children and adults. These are made from slate and smoothed by hand to a wonderful smooth finish which is very tactile.

 

 

Sometimes the lettering may be gilded or painted with a natural looking wash of off white paint or occasionally a light blue or grey paint.  Sometimes clients want a gilded sunken disc or star on the headstone.  Many headstones have carvings in raised or sunken relief.  These tend to be either crosses or motifs from nature such as birds or plants , but the options are endless.

 

No two headstones are alike and these are only intended as a guide to inspire.