I've been wanting to tell you about Swithland slate for a very long time: it's been on my "to do" list almost since I started my training as a Leicestershire Tour guide in 2012, and since I started this blog way back in 2013, but it's one of those that I so wanted to do lots of research on and give you lots and lots of interesting snippets of information. Sadly, time rarely seems to be on my side, so here's a brief post which has been prompted by a talk on Swithland slate headstones, and the publication of a recent website on the same. But first, roofs!!
Swithland slate was quarried around Swithland, Woodhouse Eaves and Groby, and there were a number of quarries on land that belonged to the Martin family, who lived at The Brand in Woodhouse Eaves. In an article published in 1944, Albert Herbert (1) wrote that there were millions of roofing slates produced at these quarries in the preceding three centuries (although a certain online encyclopedia suggests the popularity of these roofing slates began as late as 1750 (2)). As was common in days of yore, building materials used in the area were usually locally made products, like bricks, made by Tuckers, or Hathern Station Brick Company, or were made of materials that were mined or quarried locally (like Swithland slate and Mountsorrel granite), partly because it was a good deal cheaper and easier to transport things only a short distance.
A Swithland slate roof is quite distinctive. Unlike Welsh slate, Swithland slate is not easy to split, and in fact, blocks of slate were sawn with a hand saw, and smoothed with a mix of sand and water, so the slates are very thick and look quite rough. Also, whilst Welsh roofing slates are a uniform size on each roof (although different roofs have different sized slates (with differing names, like Duchess, Countess, Queen etc.)), Swithland slate roofs are distinctive because each row of slates is a different size from the others, so you get small tiles laid nearest the ridge, gradually getting bigger in size, until the largest row, at the base of the roof.
I'll show you some examples of Swithland slate roofs at various places, so you can see how distinctive they really are:
 |
| Outbuildings at Stoneywell Cottage |
 |
| Outbuilding in the grounds of Stoneywell Cottage |
 |
| Part of the roof of Stoneywell Cottage |
 |
| Another part of the roof of Stoneywell Cottage |
 |
| A Swithland slate roof at Ulverscroft Grange |
 |
| Building at the University of Leicester Botanical gardens |
 |
| Building at the University of Leicester Botanical gardens |
 |
| Building at the University of Leicester Botanical gardens |
 |
| Building at the University of Leicester Botanical gardens |
The example from Ulverscroft above is quite fascinating, because the roof is at head height when approached from the road, so it's possible to get a really good look, and if you're tall enough it's possible to touch the tiles.
There are many, many buildings in Loughborough town centre which have Swithland slate roofs. Here are just a few examples:
 |
| Lowe's shop on Church Gate |
 |
| Caravelli's Italian restaurant on Sparrow Hill |
 |
| The other part of Lowe's on Church Gate |
 |
| 12 Degrees West, formerly the Mundy Arms |
Next time you're in town, have a look at the roofs and see which others you can spot.
Apart from roofs, Swithland slate is also used for a whole variety of other things, like plinths, window sills, milestones, gateposts, animal troughs and many more things. Here are a few examples from Stoneywell:
 |
| Swithaland slate door frame (inscribed with G 1899) |
 |
| Siwthland slate coat hanger inside Stoneywell Cottage |
I have a feeling some of the fireplaces and window sills in Stoneywell were also made of Swithland slate, but my photographs are not clear enough for me to be sure.
My internet connection is not playing ball today and it keeps switching off, so I am going to post about the use of Swithland slate for gravestones another time. In the meantime, here's a photograph of some from our very own parish churchyard (All Saints with Holy Trinity) to keep you going:
 |
| Swithland slate gravestones in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity |
I'll let you know when the post about Swithland slate gravestones is ready, so do pop back again!
PS I have now blogged about Swithland slate gravestones, although there will be a further post concentrating on photographs.
You
are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit.
The correct citation for this looks as follow:
References:
(1) Herbert, Albert (1944). Swithland slate headstones. Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. XXII, Part III, 1943-44
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swithland_Wood
