The Timeless Beauty of Caithness Flagstone

Caithness is a county in the extreme northeast corner of the Scottish mainland. It is here that Caithness flagstone can be found, though the stone can also be found to the north of Caithness too in the island groups of Orkney and Shetland.

The stone comes from the Old Red Sandstone, which is of Devonian age. It has the characteristic of being very finely grained. It is dark grey in colour and it will weather to a lighter fawn shade. It is a very durable stone, though its resistance to air pollution and acidic moisture is not particularly good.

As a form of sandstone it has a surprisingly high resistance to flexing. This makes it suitable for areas that are heavily trafficked where there is a lot of wear and tear. It can resist salty environments well and has been used effectively in harbour walls and as the building material in houses situated close to the stormy northeast Scottish coast where salt spray is often in the air.

Devonian House in Halkirk, a few miles south of Thurso in the northeast of Scotland, is a very good example of how the timeless beauty of Caithness flagstone can be put to use. The stone has been used to build the house walls and thin sections of flagstone have been used as slate for the roof.

The garden wall is also made from this versatile stone. The wall contains no mortar, being built in a traditionally patterned manner. Inside the house the true aesthetic qualities of this amazing stone come to life. It is used in a highly polished form as a kitchen worktop, and as tiles on the bathroom floor.

Perhaps the most impressive use of the stone in Devonian House is in the entrance hall floor where the flagstones are interspersed with oak beams. The effect is extremely impressive.

As early as 1793 this stone that has taken some 400 million years for nature to perfect was being exported from the northeast of Scotland to all over the world. The city of Boston in the USA, for example, had its streets paved with the timeless beauty of Caithness flagstone.

One of the great benefits to be gained from this remarkable stone is the fact that it is virtually maintenance free. It has been described as indestructible, and that is indeed close to the truth. It stands up extremely well to the extremes of temperature and humidity, making it suitable for use just about anywhere in the world.

When Scotland built its parliament building in Edinburgh they wanted the best materials. The northeast corner of Scotland supplied both of the two main types of stone used: Kemnay Granite from Aberdeenshire and the famous flagstone from Caithness.

In fact, wherever you find important prestigious buildings you are also likely to find beautiful, timeless Caithness flagstone. For example, it can be found in the British Memorial Garden in New York and the in the Belfast Concert Hall, as well as in dozens of other well known places.