York stone is one of the most famous, English natural stones known around the globe. It is also a very special and versatile stone which can be used for myriad purposes. It is used for diverse purposes like paving, headstones, house signs, fireplaces and all types of buildings including churches, office blocks etc. York stone is increasingly becoming very popular, to be used for house signs.
Yorkshire stone has been used for constructing buildings for centuries. It is a sedimentary, carboniferous rock, which was formed close to 300 million years ago. The elements of nature heat, pressure, wind and water combined quartz, mica, and feldspar with natural bonding elements like silica calcium carbonate, iron oxide and clay, to create what is now known as Yorkshire stone.
York stone paving is usually rough surfaced as compared to other materials used, like York stone sawn paving, which provides a smooth polished surface. This is because York stone is hand split (riven) from the large blocks of York stone. The sedimentary layers of the York stone allow the rock to be split into smaller parts which are used for riven paving.
Different varieties or grades of York stone are available for riven paving. Hard, yellow colored stone with fettled edges, gauged widths and gauged length are of the top grade and so, the most expensive. Softer brown ‘self-paced’ paving, with sawn edges and random widths and lengths are the lowest grade with the cheapest prices. The term self-paced, comes from the fact that loose natural beds can be easily peeled to form the building stone. The loose beds are way too easy to split apart as compared to the harder layered beds. Loose layered beds are generally brown color- same as the color of the outside block, before they are quarried.
Nowadays, the York stone, which is available, is generally gold or buff in color. The older York stone was available in colors as varied as grey, dark brown as well as true blue. The variety of the colors available in York stone added to its popularity and made it the builder’s choice for fireplace in 80s. They became really popular at that point of time. Unfortunately building fireplaces is not very popular in the recent times.
One of the big suppliers of York stone is Hard York quarries in UK. It is one of the UK’s leading players, to supply products from their own quarries, like York stone paving and riven paving. The Hard York quarries have been present in this market, since 1900s and so, are one of the very few places in UK, where genuine York stone is available. At times, where common sandstones are being passed off as York stone, by not so genuine suppliers, Hard York quarries is one of the only places in UK where genuine, York stone paving and riven paving are available.
York stone slabs have their own problems to contend with. They are very expensive to purchase and difficult to lay due to their varying thickness. They also become extremely slippery when wet. A more feasible option for driveways and patios is imported natural stone like Indian stone.
