Date: Wednesday 14th November 2018 | 12.30-1.30pm.
Venue: 54 Bell Street, Glasgow.
Scottish slate has been used to roof Scottish buildings for over 400 years. Initially any local stone; flagstone, mica schist or indeed slate, which could be split into slabs, no matter how irregular, was used. Over time however, true geological slate, from the Highland Boundary, Ballachulish, Foudland or Slate Islands groups of quarries came to predominate. But with the improvement in transport in the 19th century, slate from elsewhere in the UK, principally North Wales, became readily available. Welsh slates are larger and more regular than Scottish and can be split thinner, making their use more economical. Today, although Welsh, Cornish and Cumbrian slate is still available, most roofing slate is imported from Spain. Recent work on Moy Castle on Mull, the Briggait and Paisley Museum and Art Gallery will be used to demonstrate these trends.