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Stone Processing: From Cotswold Quarry to Finished Building Stone
Every piece of quality building stone starts at the source: the quarry. Our Cotswold stone comes from an open quarry set in the Cotswold Hills, within easy reach of Winchcombe, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water. From there, the stone goes through a controlled, traditional process to produce reliable building stone and masonry stone for a wide range of projects.
Step 1: Careful Quarry Extraction (No Blasting)
To protect the integrity of the stone, we extract material directly from the quarry face rather than using blasting. Blasting can introduce fractures and weak points, which may reduce yield and limit suitability for masonry and building stone applications. By pulling stone from the face, we keep blocks sound and workable for cutting, carving, and structural use.
Step 2: Splitting Along the Natural Bed
Once large sections are recovered, the stone is broken down using the plug and feather method. This time-tested technique splits the stone along its natural bedding planes, producing smaller, manageable blocks. Working with the natural bed helps maintain strength and consistency and makes the material easier to handle with machinery for the next stage of processing.
Step 3: Sawing and Sizing for Different Stone Products
After splitting, the stone is sawn and sized depending on the final product. Purpose-built saw tables cut blocks to the required: length, width (back) & height.
This creates accurate blanks for further processing into finished building stone, or for our stonemasons to shape into detailed architectural pieces.
Step 3: Sawing and Sizing for Different Stone Products
Precisely cut Cotswold stone can then be finished by saw and hand, depending on the specification. This is where stone becomes practical, install-ready masonry stone for projects large and small. Typical products include:
Lintels
Cills
Quoins
Corbels
Coping stones
Mullion windows
Fireplaces
Name plaques and bespoke carved stonework
Step 5: Cropped Building Stone for Construction
Smaller, irregular blocks and rockery-type pieces are cropped by an operative to produce Cropped Building Stone. This finish is commonly seen in historic Cotswold buildings and remains popular for restoration work, character builds, and bespoke developments where a more traditional appearance is required.
Step 6: Sawn, Split and Tumbled Building Stone
For customers who want a recognisable, consistent finish that is still full of character, larger sections are sawn into slabs before moving through a splitter and tumbler process. This produces our well-known Sawn Split and Tumbled Building Stone.
The stone is supplied in coursed heights, stacked and wrapped on pallets, ready for efficient site use. Because it’s straightforward to lay and delivers a traditional look, this type of Cotswold building stone is frequently specified for modern housing projects where heritage style, quality and modern construction methods need to work together.
