Valentia Slate, a natural stone derived from Valentia Island in the Republic of Ireland has been officially recognised as a heritage stone. 

Awarded the status of 'International Union of Geological Sciences Heritage Stone', it has been used internationally, including on the floors and roofs of the House of Commons in London and Trinity College, Dublin. The status is only given to stone that has a history of significant use and which is still available for conservation purposes today.

Globally, only 55 stones are recognised by this designation and it was achieved through research by the Trinity research group Stonebuilt Ireland based in Geology in the School of Natural Sciences and led by Professor Patrick Wyse Jackson and Dr Louise Caulfield, in collaboration with colleagues at Valentia Slate Company Ltd and Carrig Conservation Consultants. Connemara Marble is the only other stone in Ireland with this recognition.

The slate which can be used in construction and domestic settings is extracted underground on Valentia Island in the same facility that was opened by Peter Fitzgerald, the Knight of Kerry, in 1816. The company operates a zero-waste policy in extracting slate for a wide variety of purposes including flooring, roofing slates, worktops and headstones. 
 

Dorset-based Albion Stone has opened a new state-of-the-art production facility to launch its innovative natural brick range – Heritage Portland. The mining and manufacturing business – which has supplied stone to prestigious buildings including Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral – will use surplus Portland stone to produce naturally sourced bricks as a low-carbon solution for construction. The process involves cutting blocks of stone into slabs and then into bricks and produces 75% less embodied carbon than manufacturing traditional clay fire bricks. One million bricks per year will be made thanks to the new production line.

The company was supported by a £450,000 asset finance package from Lloyds Bank and, as a result of the new facility, the business has employed an extra five team members and is on track to grow turnover by 20% to £10m in 2025.

Albion Stone’s new facility and Heritage Brick range will mean it can process an additional 8,800 tonnes of Portland stone, which is the equivalent weight of 20 747 jumbo jets. The business also has plans in place to open a second Heritage brick range manufacturing plant to increase production capacity.

Founded in 1952, the fourth-generation family-owned business also lead the sector’s switch from quarrying to mining Portland stone. 

Cliveden Conservation has been appointed to conserve the Fritz Steller artworks and other heritage building material as part of the redevelopment of a major project in the Grade II Listed former Queensgate Market building in Huddersfield. 

The conservation company has been subcontracted by BAM – the principal contractor for Kirklees Council’s Our Cultural Heart project in Huddersfield. The artworks incorporate 10 decorative panels and were created by German sculptor Fritz Steller (1941-2015). Titled, 'Articulation in Movement', Cliveden recently carried out a survey which will inform a programme of conservation repair works to the panels on the eastern elevation of the Queensgate Market building. The works will be carried out in 2025.

Conservators will carry out the work to Steller’s ceramic art in situ. Each panel will be carefully cleaned, consolidated and repointed by Cliveden Conservation’s experts. Structural and reconstruction repairs will also be carried out to restore some of the missing elements of the panels.

Specialist techniques will be employed to take down Steller’s black metal relief sculpture called ‘Commerce’ which features semi-abstract figures representing agriculture, trade and products, from the north wall of the hall. The sculpture will be carefully divided into individual pieces and sensitively cleaned before being packed away.

To enable building works to commence Cliveden Conservation will also be removing the sandstone coat of arms and terrazzo panels from the hall over the next few months. Custom designed and built storage solutions are being used to transport these objects and the metal sculpture into safe storage.

David Bloxam, head of architectural projects, Cliveden Conservation, comments: “It is an honour to be entrusted with Queensgate Market’s most precious artefacts and to be part of the Our Cultural Heart project team. This is a delicate operation which requires careful planning and immense skill. We look forward to working in collaboration with BAM and Kirklees Council as a specialist contractor in heritage conservation and seeing this new cultural hub evolve.”

David Shepherd, Kirklees Council’s strategic director for growth and regeneration, added:

“Our Cultural Heart may be an exciting regeneration project for the future, but it also builds on the strong heritage and identity of everything that has gone before.

“By smartly respecting and enhancing the existing heritage buildings and character across the site, the new scheme will provide a tangible sense of place that retains the emotional connection felt between local residents and their town centre.

“The Fritz Steller panels are a fundamental part of this ambition, so it’s great to now have Cliveden Conservation on board to work alongside the main contractor. They are experts in their field and will help us to safely refurbish the artwork so it can remain a celebrated feature within Kirklees for decades to come.”