Natural Cotsway Roof Stone
Natural stone for Cotswold roofs, in Aged and Buff, laid in random diminishing courses
Cotsway Natural Roof Stone is ethically sourced natural stone for Cotswold roofs, supplied in Aged and Buff. It is real natural stone, calibrated to lie flat and pre-drilled, laid in random diminishing courses in the traditional Cotswold way.
What Is Cotswold Roof Stone?
A Cotswold roof has a look that is hard to fake: coursed stone stepping down in size from eaves to ridge, in soft honey, buff and grey-brown tones that settle further into the landscape every year. Cotsway Natural Roof Stone is our answer to that roofscape — ethically sourced natural stone, selected and finished to match Cotswold roofs, laid in random diminishing courses in the traditional Cotswold way.
People search for the same material under several names — Cotswold stone roof slates, Cotswold stone roof tiles, natural stone roofing — and they all describe the same thing: thick, riven-faced stone laid in courses rather than a single repeating size. Stone roofing is a discipline of its own. The stones are heavier, they are hung on pegs or nailed through a pre-formed hole, and they are set out to a schedule that tells the roofer which size belongs in which course. Get the schedule right and the roof looks like it has always been there.
New and reclaimed Cotswold stone has become scarce and expensive. Cotsway gives architects, conservation officers and roofing contractors real stone that behaves like the original: it weathers into the roofscape rather than sitting on top of it, and it is approved for use in Conservation Areas, National Parks and on Grade 1 and Grade 2 Listed Buildings.*
What Is a Random Diminishing Course Roof?
The largest stones sit at the eaves and every course above steps down, so the roof reads as a series of narrowing bands right up to the ridge, giving the elevation a depth that a single-size covering cannot reproduce.
"Random" refers to the widths. Within each course the heights are fixed but the widths vary, so the vertical joints never line up and the roof avoids the gridded look of a modern single-size covering. Diminishing courses are also why a stone roof reads correctly from the ground: the eye follows the narrowing bands and the pitch appears taller and better proportioned than it actually is.
Cotsway is supplied across 41 sizes — main sizes from 24" x 20" down to 10" x 4", plus top sizes and under-eaves courses — so a roof can be set out in random diminishing courses without cutting to fit. That matters on a conservation project, where a cut edge on a piece of roof stone is visible and a conservation officer will notice it.
What Colours and Ancillaries Are Available?
Two colourways, both at the same rate, plus the ridge and ventilation pieces needed to finish the roof without importing a different product at the top course.
Aged
The darker colourway. Weathered grey-brown, for matching into existing stone.
Buff
The lighter colourway. Warm honey and cream, for new build and full re-roofs.
Reproduction Stone Ridge
Supplied to match Cotsway roof stone, finishing the roof at the apex.
Vent Slate
In-line ventilation that sits within the coursing.
What Sizes Do Cotswold Stone Roof Tiles Come In?
Heights are measured to the peg hole. Your batten schedule tells you which size goes in which course.
| Main Slates | 4" | 6" | 8" | 10" | 12" | 14" | 20" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10" | 10" x 4" available | 10" x 6" available | 10" x 8" available | 10" x 10" not available | 10" x 12" available | 10" x 14" not available | 10" x 20" not available |
| 12" | 12" x 4" available | 12" x 6" available | 12" x 8" available | 12" x 10" not available | 12" x 12" available | 12" x 14" not available | 12" x 20" not available |
| 14" | 14" x 4" available | 14" x 6" not available | 14" x 8" available | 14" x 10" available | 14" x 12" not available | 14" x 14" available | 14" x 20" available |
| 16" | 16" x 4" available | 16" x 6" not available | 16" x 8" available | 16" x 10" available | 16" x 12" not available | 16" x 14" available | 16" x 20" available |
| 18" | 18" x 4" not available | 18" x 6" available | 18" x 8" available | 18" x 10" available | 18" x 12" not available | 18" x 14" available | 18" x 20" available |
| 20" | 20" x 4" not available | 20" x 6" not available | 20" x 8" available | 20" x 10" available | 20" x 12" not available | 20" x 14" available | 20" x 20" available |
| 22" | 22" x 4" not available | 22" x 6" not available | 22" x 8" available | 22" x 10" not available | 22" x 12" available | 22" x 14" available | 22" x 20" available |
| 24" | 24" x 4" not available | 24" x 6" not available | 24" x 8" available | 24" x 10" not available | 24" x 12" available | 24" x 14" available | 24" x 20" available |
- Top slates: 7" high x 4", 6", 8", 10" wide
- Under eaves: 12" x 18" and 17" x 20"
Why Specify Cotsway Natural Roof Stone?
Extensive stock
Held in depth across the full size range. A diminishing pattern only works if every size in the schedule arrives together, so we confirm availability before you commit to a programme.
Fully calibrated
Every stone is calibrated to a consistent thickness so it lies flat on the batten. That removes the sorting and dressing time reclaimed stone demands, and it means the roof goes on at a predictable rate.
Reduced wastage
We calculate the requirement from your roof and issue a full batten schedule against it, so the quantity you order is close to the quantity that goes on the roof.
Batten layout service
Send us your roof measurements and we return a batten schedule and laying pattern for the whole roof.
Can You Use It in a Conservation Area or on a Listed Building?
Yes. Conservation area roofing usually comes down to two questions: is the material natural stone, and does the roof read the way the original read. Cotsway answers both. It is ethically sourced natural stone, and because the full size range is stocked, the roof can be set out in true diminishing courses instead of being approximated with two or three sizes.
As a listed building roof covering, Cotsway is approved for use on Grade 1 and Grade 2 Listed Buildings, in National Parks and in Conservation Areas. Approval is always property-specific, so send the batten schedule and a sample to your conservation officer with the application — it is far easier to agree a stone roof before the scaffold goes up than to defend one afterwards. We will supply the sample free of charge for that purpose.
For repairs and extensions on an existing stone roof, the Aged colourway is normally the closer match; Buff suits new build and full re-roofs where the whole elevation will weather together.
What Is the Technical Specification?
| Material | Ethically sourced natural roof stone |
|---|---|
| Colours | Aged, Buff |
| Price | £180 per m², Aged and Buff |
| Weight (laid) | 120-140 kg/m2 |
| Fixing | Pre-drilled 8mm peg hole |
| Coursing | Random diminishing courses; batten schedule supplied |
| Sizes | 35 main + 4 top slates + 2 under eaves |
| Approvals | Conservation Areas, National Parks, Grade 1 and 2 Listed Buildings* |
| Ancillaries | Reproduction Stone Ridge, Vent Slate |
| Finishing | Calibrated and prepared in the UK |
*Individual approval must always be obtained.
About the stone
Cotsway is ethically sourced natural stone, calibrated and prepared in the UK and selected to match the colour, texture and coursing of a Cotswold roof. It is not quarried in the Cotswolds — new and reclaimed Cotswold stone is now in very short supply, which is why Cotsway exists.
How Much Do Cotswold Stone Roof Slates Cost?
£180 per m²
Aged and Buff, the same rate either way
Cotsway Natural Roof Stone is the same rate in both colourways, so the choice between Aged and Buff is an aesthetic one rather than a budget one.
That is the material rate. Send us your spar and ridge measurements and we will quote the actual roof — main stone by size, top courses, under-eaves courses, ridge and vent units — so the figure you work to is for your roof, not a rate per metre multiplied by a guess.
Reclaimed Cotswold stone is priced by what happens to be available and usually needs re-dressing before it can be laid; newly quarried Cotswold stone is scarcer and dearer again. Cotsway is a consistent, calibrated, pre-drilled product at a consistent price.
Get a Quote for Your RoofWill Your Roof Take the Weight?
A laid Cotsway roof weighs 120-140 kg/m². Where laid weight is a limitation, we also supply reproduction diminishing stone in Natural Weathered, Country Weathered and Turned York.
Where Do You Deliver Cotswold Stone Roofing?
We supply nationwide from our Cheshire base, and deliver regularly across the Cotswolds and the surrounding counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Somerset. Deliveries are palletised by size so the courses can be set out in schedule order on site rather than sorted from a single heap.
Our own teams are also available for full supply and fit where you would rather one contract covered both the material and the labour, including stripping and setting out an existing stone roof for reinstatement.
Cotswold roof stone questions
Cotswold Stone Roofs We Have Supplied
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