Why you should use natural stone walling for your next build project
Natural stone walling is a beautiful material for commercial and residential projects of all styles and sizes. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the qualities that make natural walling stone such a popular choice for architects and house builders.
Benefits of natural stone walling
No matter how big or small your build project, there are lots of reasons why natural stone is the perfect material for modern and traditional architecture. Here are some of the key benefits of using natural stone walling.
Prestigious and traditional
Using natural stone walling for your project adds heritage and prestige. Some of the UK’s most well-loved historical buildings are crafted from natural stone, including the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Emulating the time-honoured craftsmanship of the country’s past lends a sense of status and tradition, even in contemporary designs.
Durable and long lasting
Natural stone walling is more durable than man-made alternatives such as concrete or reconstituted stone, which will begin to show aggregates and reinforcements as they wear over time. Throughout the UK and even worldwide, structures built from natural stone have stood the test of time for hundreds or even thousands of years. The weathering of stone can also improve its appearance, adding a unique character that just can’t be faked.
Better for the environment
As it has already been formed over millions of years, natural stone doesn’t need to be manufactured. This reduces the carbon emissions associated with sourcing raw materials and producing the walling stone, as well as maximising resources by creating useful by-products such as aggregates and agricultural lime. Natural stone is also free from harmful pollutants and chemicals and, when quarried sustainably, is an extremely environmentally friendly building material.
Preferred by local authorities
Builders and construction companies often find that working with natural stone suppliers helps to improve the chance of planning permission being granted by local authorities. Renovations to listed buildings or new-build projects in areas of outstanding natural beauty may require the specification of natural stone in order to be accepted. This is particularly true where natural stone is an important part of the location’s cultural and historical identity, such as Oxford or the Cotswolds.
Ideal for restoration projects
Natural stone walling is ideal for conservation and restoration projects, where matching the look and feel of the existing architecture is paramount. Wherever possible, using the same stone as in the original design is the best way to preserve architectural authenticity. However, in cases where the original material can’t be obtained, it’s possible to find an equivalent stone in keeping with the rest of the building.
Different types of natural stone walling
As owners of the Clipsham Medwells and Clipsham Bidwells limestone quarries, we are able to take complete control over the quality and provenance of our products, including our range of walling stone.
Cropped natural stone walling
Whereas our sawn on bed stone is cut to specific course heights, our cropped natural stone walling comes in more random sizes for a unique and traditional effect. Laying this stone takes a little more time, but the results are worth it, particularly for extensions to period properties. We supply both new and reclaimed cropped walling stone, helping to improve the sustainability and authenticity of your build project.
Sawn on bed & tumbled natural stone walling
We saw our stone on the bed in course heights of 65, 90, 115 and 140mm for ease of laying. The face is then cropped by guillotine at 110 mm (the width of a standard cavity wall), leaving a textured face exposing intricate shell formations. Next, we crop the stone randomly for an authentic feel and tumble it to remove sharp edges. Each piece is then hand finished by our skilled stonemasons.
Ashlar natural stone walling
Our Ashlar walling stone is cut and finished precisely to ensure square edges, sharp corners and smooth, even faces. It’s particularly popular for use as exterior cladding on showcase buildings in urban areas, where it produces a clean, modern effect. Sustainably quarried from our own quarry sites, our Ashlar has a typical bed depth of 100mm.
Bespoke natural stone walling
Our quarries are equipped with on-site stone cutting and finishing facilities. This means that, alongside our standard natural stone walling products, we’re also able to accommodate custom specifications for even the most ambitious build projects.
Award-winning natural stone suppliers
We have been recognised for the quality and craftsmanship of our stone products, with projects built using our natural stone walling receiving a variety of accolades.
We supplied our highly acclaimed Clipsham limestone for the renovation of the Library & Study Centre at St John’s College in Oxford, a project which won the New Build Modern Category at the Natural Stone Awards 2020.
On top of this win, several of our projects have been highly commended in the Natural Stone Awards, including the Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre 2018, Sutton Lodge in 2020, and our Buckinghamshire self-build project in 2022.
Natural stone walling for your next project
As natural stone suppliers with a focus on quality and sustainability, we offer a variety of standard and custom walling stone for your next build project. Get in touch to find out more about how we can support you throughout the design, specification and build process.