Delabole Slate

Delabole is a town in Cornwall UK, it is named after and famous for having the oldest and largest slate quarry in the country, used for over 600 years and with, and said to privide a continued good supply of slate. Delabole slate is the traditional blue-grey slate that comes from this quarry, it is well known for its durability, weather resistance, as well as aesthetic appearance (far left below).

Delabole slates tend to be more robust than standard slates, often laid with what is called a triple lap gauge (or triple lap), this means they have a deeper overlap than a normal standard double lap roof, so overlapping three layers of slate rather than two, which improves durability. Traditionally Delabole slate roofs are referred to as scantile roofs, with the triple overlap and a bedding of wet lime mortar, laid between the slates, and pointed at the edges. Such roofs are very durable as they are commonly found in the fishing villages along the coast of Cornwall and Devon where roofs need to with stand strong winds and sea water.

Deliou Manor, near the current quarry is recorded in the Doomsday Book, in the 1200s the quarry site became known as Delyou Bol in old Cornish, where delyou means flakes or leaves and bol means a pit, it translates as pit of flaky stone. in the 1700s many companies dug from the site, which were amalgamated under the management of Robert Bake of Tynes in the 1800s and The Old Delabole Slate Company was founded and became a Limited Liability Company in 1898. The quarrying of roofing slate and by-products has continued since. Delabole slates were used on Winchester Cathedral, and also the favourite roof covering of the small fishing village of Clovelly in North Devon and many vernacular buildings across Devon and Cornwall.

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[edit] External links

https://cornishstory.com/2023/09/11/delabole-slate-quarry/

http://www.stoneroof.org.uk/historic/Historic_Roofs/Grouted_roofs.html

https://jsroofing.co.uk/wet-lay-cornish-scantle-roofing/