Where did Scotland’s slate roofs come from?
Most of the slate on Edinburgh’s traditional roofs was quarried in Scotland itself, from sites in the Highlands and along the west coast, during a slate industry that grew through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries before declining sharply in the twentieth. That history is part of why Scottish slate has a distinctive appearance, and why matching it today is not always straightforward.
Scotland’s slate industry once supplied roofing material across the country and beyond, quarried from sites including those in the Highlands and along the west coast. The Engine Shed, Historic Environment Scotland’s building conservation centre, has documented this history in detail, including the industry’s rise, its eventual decline over the twentieth century, and the character of the stone itself.
Why Scottish slate looks the way it does
Scottish slate is generally thicker and more varied in colour and texture than slate from some other sources, with tones ranging from blue grey to green and purple depending on the quarry. That natural variation is part of what gives traditional Edinburgh roofscapes their particular character, and it is also why a repair slate sourced from elsewhere can sometimes stand out against the surrounding roof if it is not carefully matched.
From quarry to roof
Traditional slate was split by hand along its natural grain into individual roofing slates, then graded by size for laying in diminishing courses, as described in our slate costs and coverage guide. That labour intensive production, alongside changing building practices and the availability of cheaper alternatives, contributed to the decline of Scotland’s own slate quarrying industry over the twentieth century, a story covered in more detail on The Engine Shed’s own pages. Our guide to where slate comes from today picks up where that history left off.
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Curious about the slate on your own roof?
Email us photos of the roof and what floor it’s on, or how many levels up it is, and we’ll tell you what we need to give you a price.
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