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Large-scale working of Horsham Stone began in the twelfth century and continued until the 1960’s.

The stone is not quarried in the traditional sense but instead it is dug out of shallow open pits called delves. Restoration of old historic buildings has been difficult because of the lack of large amounts of new building material. Historic Horsham Stone started digging out stone from delves in the summer of 2004.

The stone is sawn and prepared by hand, continuing the tradition of hundreds of years.

Here at Historic Horsham Stone we pride ourselves in producing a very high quality product. We listen to your stone needs and give you friendly, professional advice. We value your custom and are committed to continuing the tradition of producing Horsham Stone products, begun hundreds of years ago. We have helped to restore a wide range of historic and privately owned buildings and properties across the region.

As part of our interest in Horsham Stone we have sponsored a book that traces

the fascinating geological and architectural history of Horsham Stone.

Also we have preserved many unusual specimens of ripple stones in our yard for customers to look at. The book “Sussex Stones”, written by a local geologist,

can be bought from us.

Horsham Stone roof slates found at Bignor Roman Villa

Early 19th Century paintings showing how stone was cut.

Horsham Stone is a fine-grained, compact, calcareous sandstone. Geologically, it was deposited as sandbanks and river sediments

in large rivers that flowed across Sussex over 130 million

years ago, in the Cretaceous Period.

Dinosaurs roamed across Sussex during this time and many

bones and skeletons have been found in clay pits and sand

quarries around Horsham. Horsham Stone is famous for the

ripple marks that occur on the top of sandstone beds. Over the centuries these ripples have been valued by builders for their anti-slip properties. The Romans first used Horsham Stone nearly 2,000 years ago. The ability to split Horsham Stone into thin roofing slates has been highly valued over the centuries.

Large numbers of churches and medieval buildings across

Sussex, Surrey and Kent have Horsham Stone roofing

slates. The stone weathers into a range of beautiful

yellows and browns, giving charm and character to buildings.