Westmoreland Slate

Westmoreland Slate is Ordovician in age (approximately 470 million years old) and has been quarried in Cumbria since Roman times if not earlier. Honister Slate Mine closed in the 1980's but re-opened in 1997 as a tourist attraction and working mine, it is the only remaining Westmoreland Slate mine. Westmoreland Slate is generally green in colour due to the presence of chlorites but can range from green to red. It has been used throughout the United Kingdom, examples include Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, London and Belfast City Hall