CONTEXT 189 : SEPTEMBER 2026 17 INFRASTRUCTURE THREATENED MATERIALS AND CRAFTS period onwards. The stone continued in local use beyond the arrival of the railways, but whether early 20th-century Horsham-roofed buildings are survivals or revivals is sometimes uncertain. In this late period the slabs tend to appear on designed buildings with an arts and crafts influence, and are often on country estates. These estates may have had continuing access to local supplies, but equally possible is that the roofing stones were salvaged from demolished structures. As Horsham roofing stone is extremely durable and can last for centuries, re-use was not uncommon. The stones are honey-coloured when first quarried, but turn a grey-black with weathering. Repeated wetting and exposure to frost assists the lamination that, with the aid of hand tools, produces slabs suitable for roofing. A distinctive characteristic of Horsham roofing stone is a pronounced surface ripple, formed millions of A streetscape with Horsham slab roofs in the centre of Horsham, West Sussex (Photo: Matthew Slocombe) The Manor House, West Hoathly, West Sussex (Photo: Matthew Slocombe)
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