Top Home Contents Disappearing Skills Stone slates demand special skills in production and use, today there are few craftspeople able to offer such expertise. In times of rising unemployment in rural areas, we should take the opportunity to reinvest in these traditional local skills and at the same time ensure the preservation of our stone slate roofing tradition, a vital part of our heritage. The stone thackers as they were once known, blended the sizes and textures of the slates to create a defence against the worst of Britain s weather. That skill at working with the stone is now disappearing as the material grows scarcer. Likewise, there are few opportunities for architects, surveyors and others to learn the necessary skills to rebuild or repair a traditional stone slate roof so that it will last another two to three hundred years.
Training is needed in all areas of the stone slate industry.
English Heritage is developing a training module, and a guidance leaflet for conservation practitioners. Roofing companies also have a role to play in the training of craftspeople. Educational establishments also need to be equipped to meet the challenge of the necessary training. The objective is to conserve the distinctive regional appearance of roofs. This means choosing the correct materials and techniques to ensure that the roof will do its job.