Historic England
FISH Building Materials Thesaurus
Terminology used for recording the main construction materials of monuments, buildings and structures relating to the built and buried heritage of the British Isles. Maintained by Historic England on behalf of the FISH Terminology Working Group
Adamelite
Shap Granite
Hard, coarse grained, grey to red/brown coloured granite. Used predominantly for tombstones becasuse of its ability to take a polish, but it is also in demand for underwater construction.
Alps Grey Granite
Ematita Granite
Madreperla
Verde Ematita
Gneiss
Coarse grained, metamorphic rock in which the colour is dependent upon the predominant mineral.
Alta Quartzite
Altazite
Barge Quartzite
Italian Quartzite
Otta Slate
Pillaguri Slate
Rembrandt Stone
Sanfront Stone
Schist
Medium to coarse grained metamorphic rock, colour being determined by its dominant mineral. Often used for floor and wall cladding.
Amberley Stone
Beer Stone
Coarse, hard Chalkstone, light grey to white coloured, containing shell fragments.
Burwell Stone
Totternhoe Stone
Clunch
A hard, gritty, grey/green coloured form of chalk.
Chalk
A soft, porous, white to light grey coloured limestone.
Ammonite
Fossil
The remains of living organisms preserved in stone over a long time period. This may be the internal or external moulds of, usually, the hard parts of an organism (shells, bones, etc.).
Ancaster Stone
Barnack Stone
Casterton Stone
Clipsham Stone
Collyweston Slate
Cosgrove Stone
Freebed
Hardwhite
Ketton Stone
Stamford Stone
Weatherbed
Weldon Stone
Lincolnshire Limestone
Generic term for the oolitic limestones quarried in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. Varying in grain size from medium to coarse, and colour from cream to pale brown.
Anston Stone
Bolsover Moor
Huddlestone Stone
Mansfield Woodhouse Stone
Roche Abbey Stone
Steetly Stone
Tadcaster Stone
Magnesian Limestone
Permian limestones which have had their chemical composition naturally altered with the calcium content being replaced by magnesium. Fine grained and varying from yellow/brown to cream in colour, although they weather to a dark grey.
Arabescato Marble
Bardiglio Marble
Cipollino Marble
Pavonazzo
Carrara Marble
Imported Italian marble varying in colour from green, blue, purple to white.
Asbestos Slate
Artificial Slate
A rectangular sheet of roofing material created by a man made process (eg. asbestos cement slate) and made to look like, and used in the same way as, natural slate.
Corrugated Asbestos
Asbestos
A mineral crystal of thin, tough fibres which can be woven. Used for high temperature insulation or as reinforcement in asbestos cement building board and corrugated roofing. If used to imitate slate, use artificial slate also.
Ashburton Marble
Chudleigh Stone
Plymouth Limestone
Plymouth Stone
Torquay Limestone
Torquay Marble
Devonian Limestone
Limestone formed during the Devonian period, and found predominantly between the Exe and Tamar rivers in Devon. Varying in colour from black/grey to pink/white it was often polished to imitate, and be used as, marble.
Australian Marble
Bethersden Marble
Bletchingdon Marble
Breche Rose
Charlwood Stone
Devon Marble
Dundee Marble
Forest Marble
Frosterley Marble
Istrian Stone
Jaune Lamartine
Large Paludina Marble
Laughton Marble
Parian Marble
Pennon Marble
Pentelic Marble
Petworth Marble
Pink Verona Marble
Purbeck Marble
Sicilian Marble
Skyros Marble
Small Paludina Marble
Sussex Marble
Teesdale Marble
Tinos
Travertine
Verde Antico
Verde Fraye
Verona Marble
Yeovil Marble
Campan Melange
Campan Rose
Campan Vert
Campan Marble
White coloured marble. Imported from France.
Iona Marble
One of only three 'true' British marbles, pale green and white in colour.
Skye Marble
One of only three 'true' British marbles, white in colour, predominantly used for sculptures and statues.
Marble
Collective name for, in a true geological sense, a metamorphosed limestone, eg. Carrara marble, and, in the British sense any decorative stone that will take a polish, eg. Purbeck marble. In the latter's case index with specific stone type where given.
Auchinlea Stone
Blaxter Stone
Bramley Fall Stone
Britannia Stone
Bunter Stone
Caerbwdy Stone
Caithness Flagstone
Cardeston Stone
Chatwell Stone
Clashach Stone
Corsehill Stone
Coxbench Sandstone
Craigleith Stone
Culm Measures Stone
Culm Stone
Cumberland Stone
Darney Stone
Davie Blocks Stone
Delph Stone
Derbyshire Stone
Doddington Stone
Dunhouse Stone
Dunston Stone
Forest Of Dean Stone
Forest Stone (Gloucestershire)
Foxs Wood Rubble
Green Brae Stone
Greensand Stone
Grinshill Stone
Hailes Stone
Hatherleigh Stone
Heavitree Stone
Hollington Stone
Kerridge Stone
Keuper Stone
Ladycross Stone
Lane Head Stone
Lazonby Red Sandstone
Locharbriggs Stone
Lower Greensand
Mansfield Stone
Moulton Stone
Pencaemaur Stone
Penrith Red Sandstone
Penshaw Sandstone
Permian Sandstone
Prudham Stone
Rainhill Stone
Rainow Stone
Rassau Stone
Red Wilderness Stone
Ringby Stone
Rose Brae Stone
Salcombe Stone
Soudley Stone
Spinkwell Stone
Springwell Stone
Spynie Stone
St Bees Stone
St Boniface Stone
Stainton Stone
Swindon Stone
Thorverton Stone
Tixall Stone
Waterholes Sandstone
Wellfield Stone
Whitby Stone
Windy Hill Stone
Woolton Stone
Yorkshire Delph
Burgate Stone
Bargate Stone
Hard, coarse grained, calcareous sandstone, coloured by iron oxide. Quarried in the Guildford and Godalming area of the South East.
Birchover Stone
Birshover Gritstone
Chinley Moor Stone
Darley Dale Stone
Derbyshire Grit Stone
Hall Dale Stone
Matlock Stone
Millstone Grit
Revidge Grit
Stancliffe Stone
Watts Cliff Stone
Wattscliffe Stone
Whatstandwell Stone
Gritstone (Sandstone)
Carboniferous sandstone varying in grain size from coarse to fine and in colour from white, yellow, pink to brown. When only Gritstone is mentioned, unless otherwise specified, assume it to be Gritstone (Sandstone), as this is the more common usage.
Pennant Stone
Hard, fine grained, blue/grey coloured sandstone. Quarried in South Wales and the Bristol area and commonly used, throughout the country, as a stone roofing material (stone slate).
Bolton Wood Stone
Crosland Hill Stone
Elland Edge Flagrock
Elland Edge Stone
Greenmoor Stone
Hard Rock
Hard York
Hard York Freestone
Woodkirk Stone
Yorkshire Flagstone
Yorkshire Stone
York Stone
Generic name for the fine grained, brown coloured carboniferous sandstone, quarried in the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax area.
Sandstone
Geologically sandstone consists of particles of quartz naturally cemented together by either silica, calcium or iron. It is this geological composition that accounts for the varying colours and grain sizes found in the many building sandstones.
Ballachulish Slate
Scotch Slate
Scottish Slate
Collective term for the Scottish Slates including the Aberdeen/Baniff and Ballachulish/Easdale groups. Fine grained, varying in colour from brown to dark grey/blue. Geologically different from Lake District, Welsh and West Country groups of slate.
Balmoral Granite
Rubislaw Granite
Aberdeen Granite
Medium grained, dark bluish-grey stone. Quarried mainly from the Rubislaw Quarry.
Base Bed
Basebed
Chilmark Stone
Portland Roach
Ridgeway Stone
Roach Stone
Tisbury Stone
Whit Bed
Whitbed
Portland Stone
Fine to coarse grained, cream to green/grey coloured oolitic limestone. Quarried since Roman times, it is one of Britain's best building stones, hence its use throughout the country.
Battscombe Stone
Cheddar Stone
Deepdale Fossil
Derbydene
Derbyshire Fossil
Dukes Red Limestone
Hadene Stone
Hoptons Wood Stone
Orton Scar Limestone
Penmon Limestone
Salterwath
Swaledale Fossil
Carboniferous Limestone
Limestones formed during the Carboniferous period. Many are cut, polished and used as marble.
Baveno Granite
Biotite Granite
Bon Accord Red Granite
Channel Isle Granite
Cornish Granite
Correnie Granite
Devon Granite
Drewsteignston Stone
Dunleary Stone
Granolithic Concrete
Graphic Granite
Grey Royal Granite
Hornblende Granite
Imperial Mahogany
Isle Of Man Granite
Kemnay Granite
Muscovite Granite
Newham Stone
Pink Granite
Raddon Stone
Rose Swede Granite
Ross Of Mull Granite
Scotch Granite
Scottish Granite
Virgo Granite
Mount Sorrel Granite
Mountsorrel Stone
Mountsorrel Granite
Very hard, rough medium/coarse grained, pink to grey coloured granite. Usually found and quarried in Leicestershire.
Blue Peterhead Granite
Peterhead Granite
Coarse grained, dark coloured granite, quarried in the Peterhead and Cairngall areas of Scotland, but used throughout the North.
Granite
A hard, coarse grained, durable igneous rock. Can be used decoratively or as a main material. Found throughout the country.
Bembridge Stone
Binstead Stone
Isle Of Wight Stone
Quarr Stone
Bembridge Limestone
Generic name for the hard, white/cream coloured, freshwater limestone. Quarried on the Isle of Wight.
Berwyn Slate
Blue Grey Slate
Blue Welsh Slate
Penrhyn Slate
Welsh Slate
Collective term for the North and South Wales groups of slate. Hard, fine grained, metamorphic rock, with varying dark shades.
Laughton Stone
Caen Stone
Fine grained limestone, yellow or yellow/white in colour. Imported from France, mainly for ecclesiastical use.
Kentish Rag
Tonbridge Stone
Kentish Ragstone
Sandy, rough blue to green/grey coloured limestone. Quarried in Kent and widely used throughout the South East.
Cretaceous Limestone
Limestone formed during the Cretaceous period.
Black Granite
Diorite
Coarse grained, dark coloured, igneous rock.
Bladon Cotswold Stone
Cotswold Slate
Guiting Stone
Stanway Stone
Cotswold Stone
Sandy, light brown (cream to golden) coloured limestone, easily worked and readily available.
Hovingham Stone
Walling Stone
Gritstone (Limestone)
Specific English quarryman's term for any limestone abundant in shell fragments. Use this term with care. When only Gritstone is mentioned, unless otherwise specified, assume it to be Gritstone (Sandstone), since this is the most common usage.
Jurassic Limestone
Limestone formed during the Jurassic period. Provides many widely used building stones.
Bluestone
Cornish Rustic
Cornish Slate
Delabole Slate
Devon Slate
Mill Hill Slate
Tintagel Stone
Trebarwith Rustic Slate
Trecarne Rustic Slate
Tredinnick Rustic Slate
West Country Slate
Collective term for the slates from Devon and Cornwall. Hard, fine grained metamorphic rock. Varying in colour from dark grey/green to blueish/grey. West Country Slate is geologically different from both Lake District and Welsh Slate.
Bognor Rock
Calverley Stone
Midhurst Stone
Pulborough Stone
Tunbridge Wells Stone
Horsham Slab
Horsham Stone
Hard, fissile sandstone which weathers to a dark brown colour. Mainly used as a stone roofing material (stone slate) throughout Sussex and Surrey.
Weald Stone
Wealden Stone
Fine grained, brown/yellow to dark grey coloured cretaceous sandstone. It is a particularly good freestone and was often used for ashlar finishes.
Sussex Stone
Fine grained, buff, brown to green coloured Cretaceous sandstone. Quarried at various locations in Sussex. Not to be confused with Sussex marble which is a cretaceous limestone.
Borrowdale Slate
Brathay Slate
Broughton Moor Slate
Burlington Blue Grey
Burlington Slate
Bursting Stone
Buttermere Slate
Cobble Stone
Elterwater Slate
Kirkstone Green
Lakeland Green
Moss Rigg Slate
Skiddaw Slate
Spoutcrag
Westmoorland Green
Westmoorland Slate
Greenslate
Lake District Slate
Collective term for the Burlington (Silurian period) and Borrowdale (Ordovician period) groups of slates from the Lake District and parts of Cumbria, Lancashire. Hard, fine grained metamorphic rock, varying in colour from green/olive to black/blue black.
Box Ground
Box Rubblestone
Bradford Stone
Combe Down Stone
Corsham Stone
Hartham Park Stone
Hazlebury Stone
Monks Park Stone
St Aldhelm Stone
Stoke Ground Stone
Westwood Stone
Winsley Ground
Bath Stone
Even grained, poorly fossiliferous, light brown/cream coloured, oolitic limestone. Quarried in the Bath area.
Bradstone
Empire Stone
Imitation Stone
Coade Stone
Durable artificial stone consisting of china clay, sand and finely ground stoneware cast from moulds and fired in a kiln. Commonly used for architectural ornament and facings.
Pulhamite Stone
A patented manmade rock invented by James Pulham and Son of Broxbourne. Pulhamite was used to join natural rocks together or crafted to simulate natural stone features. It is an artificial form of sandstone.
Artificial Stone
Synthetically manufactured stone made from natural stone aggregate or reconstituted ceramics or clay, and made to appear natural. Used as solid stone for masonry or for sculptural and architectural ornament.
Brandon Hill Grit Rubble
Dolomitic Conglomerate
Conglomerate
Sedimentary rock consisting of rounded pebbles naturally cemented together.
Calcareous Spar
Membury Stone
Moolham Stone
Todber Stone
Tufa
Tufaceous Limestone
Very light, depositional limestone formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate rich water (Tufa). The more dense and compact form, Travertine, is formed in a similar way.
Limestone
Sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium carbonate. Varying in grain size, colour and hardness, quarried and used throughout the country.
Campden Stone
Cary Stone
Charlbury Stone
Coral Rag Limestone
Cornbrash Limestone
Doulting Stone
Dundry Stone
Headington Stone
Oxford Stone
Painswick Stone
Stonesfield Slate
Taynton Stone
Wheatley Stone
Oolite
Oolitic Limestone
Limestone formed during the Jurassic period. Composed of ooliths, literally small rock particles with the appearance of fish roe.
Car Stone
Ginger Bread Stone
Carstone
Coarse hard sandstone often coloured with iron oxide creating its characteristic brown shades.
Catacleuse
Growan
Pentewan Stone
Trerice Porphry
Trerice Stone
Elvan
Miner's term for fine grained, often light grey/fawn coloured porphyritic rocks. Commonly found in Devon and Cornwall.
Cement Render
Cement Tile
Whitby Cement
Portland Cement
A form of cement originally named since it was said to be like Portland Stone in appearance.
Cement
Originally obtained by burning limestone to produce quicklime. Now a fine grey powder made from a mixture of limestone and clay used with water and sand to make mortar or with water, sand and aggregate to make concrete.
Tyrolean
Roughcast
A render including an aggregate of gravel or stone chipping thrown rather than trowelled onto an external wall.
Stucco
Smooth rendering applied to the exterior of buildings which may be incised to suggest coursed masonry. Made of lime and sand or brick dust, and more recently, cement.
Render
A general term for the weatherproof coat on the external walls of a building.
Clay Tile
Concrete Tile
Encaustic Tile
Glazed and decorated, patterned earthenware tile combining different coloured clays which are inlaid and burnt in. Mainly used for flooring and external decoration.
Single Roman Tile
Roman Tile
Single lap regular shaped roof covering which can have one or more water channels. Typically made of clay or concrete. The name does not denote a relationship with the Roman period.
Spanish Tile
Single lap roof covering made of clay. Half cylinder in profile although one end is slightly wider than the other. A Spanish tile roof covering comprises under-tiles and over-tiles, the two have the same shape, but the under-tile is slightly larger.
Double Roman Tile
A large rectangle roof tile with an upstand on one side, a roll in the centre and another roll on the other side, which fits over the upstand of the adjacent tile. The name does not denote a relationship with the Roman period.
Triple Roman Tile
A large rectangle roof tile in the form of an upstand on one side followed by three rolls, the last of which fits over the upstand of the adjacent tile. The name does not denote a relationship with the Roman period.
Tile
Tablet of a uniform shape. Used as finishing or covering materials which fit together in a regular format.
Charnwood Stone
Swithland Slate
Forest Stone (Leicestershire)
Collective name for a series of rocks (granite, syenite, porphry and slate) found in the Charnwood Forest of Leicestershire. Index with specific stone type where given.
Clay
A fine grained earth which becomes more plastic when water is added and can be moulded and dried to make bricks, tile, pottery, etc.
Clob
Wichert
Cob type construction typical to Buckinghamshire using a local clay with a high chalk content to produce walls of notable inherent stability.
Cob
Walls composed of clay, earth, straw, lime and sand, mixed with water. Constructed without shutters in layers upon a stone or brick plinth and usually covered with protective limewash.
Concrete Block
Lightweight Concrete
A concrete which is either aerated or made from lightweight aggregate.
Prestressed Concrete
Concrete, containing bars or wires, which is compressed to greatly increase its strength.
Concrete
Composed of sand, stones or other aggregate and cement mixed with water which sets in a hard mass. The material is usually associated with modern building but was developed by Romans where cement was obtained from quicklime.
Cor Ten Steel
Weathering Steel
An alloy of steel.
Coralline Crag
Tertiary Limestone
Hard, fossil rich, white to deep red coloured limestone, laid down during the Tertiary period. Used since Roman times because of its good durability and weathering properties.
Corfe Stone
Langton Freestone
Purbeck Portland
Swanage Stone
Purbeck Stone
Collective name for the oolitic limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck region, geologically classified into two main groups. Firstly, a fine grained whitish variety, Purbeck Portland, secondly a fossil-rich cream/gold to grey variety, Swanage Stone etc
Corrugated Aluminium
Anodized Aluminium
Aluminium coated by a protective film of oxides created by electrolysis.
Aluminium
Lightweight, strong metal with good corrosive resistance, normally used as an alloy.
Corrugated Iron
Cast Iron
Dating from the 15th century, it is a hard alloy of iron and carbon, melted and shaped into various moulded forms.
Wrought Iron
The oldest form of iron, it is a tough, pure form of iron that can be fashioned into decorative items or shapes by hammering, squeezing or rolling.
Galvanised Iron
Galvanized Iron
Iron coated in zinc, giving good protection against weathering.
Iron
A malleable, ductile ferromagnetic metal widely used for structural and decorative purposes.
Deal
Timber
Wood, cut and seasoned so forming or capable of forming any part of a structure. May be treated with preservative before use.
Diamanzite
Safari Quartzite
Quartzite
Medium grained, hard, white/grey coloured stone consisting of quartz and often silica, produced by the metamorphosis of sandstone.
Dolomite
Soft, often white, but may be transparent. Dolomite can be found on its own, but may also occur as a replacement mineral found in some rocks, particularly limestone, formed after action by magnesium-rich fluids.
Fabric
Felt
Fabric of fibrous materials consolidated by heat and mechanical action so that the fibres are matted together.
Textile
A woven or bonded fabric or cloth. See TEXTILE Class List for narrow terms.
Fletton Brick
Flint Lime Brick
Malm (Brick)
Ruabon Brick
Staffordshire Blue Brick
Vitrified Brick
Engineering Brick
A dense, high strength, low absorption brick of uniform size, employed predominantly in industrial structures such as railway viaducts.
Brick
Standard rectangular block or tablet bonded on mortar joints in a regular arrangement or pattern for strength or decoration. Made from clay or brick earth which may contain varying quantities of chalk, lime or iron oxide which effect colour or density.
Fluorspar
Fluorite
Soft mineral, colour varying from black/purple to yellow/green. Commonly found as a mineral vein.
Gaisby Stone
Metamorphic Stone
Yorkshire Freestone
Freestone
Stonemason's term for any easily worked sedimentary rock. Index with specific stone type where given.
Rag
Ragstone
Stonemason's term for any coarse/hard stone that is not easily worked. Index with specific stone type where given. Not to be confused with Kentish Ragstone.
Tuff
A light porous cellular rock, consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption.
Stone
Rock of definite form and size, usually artificially shaped. See STONE CLass List for narrow terms.
Gatton Stone
Godstone Stone
Merstham Stone
Reigate Stone
Soft, medium grained, green/grey coloured, highly calcareous, cretaceous sandstone. Mined (more frequently than quarried) since pre-Norman times from the Reigate area of Surrey.
Green Ventnor Stone
Malm (Stone)
Malmstone
A soft, grey to white coloured, sandstone formed during the Cretaceous period, whose sand grains are cemented together with lime.
Greyweathers
Heathstone
Sarsen Stone
Extremely hard, fine grained, grey to brown silica rich sandstone. It is often found on the surface of the South Downs and has been used, as found, since prehistoric times.
Ham Stone
Ham Hill Stone
Shelly, gold/brown, coloured liassic limestone containing large quantities of crystalline calcite.
Hardboard
Medium Board
Medium Density Fibreboard
Fibreboard
A sheet formed from wood which has been separated into its fibrous elements and reconstituted under pressure. The natural fibres produce resins which act as adhesive, but often additional adhesives are used.
Hurdwick Stone
Killerton Stone
Volcanic Stone
Volcanic Trap
Basalt
Basic, black coloured, fine grained, igneous rock.
Industrial Waste
Clinker
Fused ash from furnaces used as aggregate.
Slag
Waste material or dross separated from metals during smelting or refining.
Residue
By-product or waste, resulting from an industrial process.
Knapped Chert
Lyddite
Knapped Flint
Flint
Hard, durable, dark grey stone, the purest native form of silica, which can either be used decoratively or as a main material. Predominantly found in East Anglia and the South East.
Chert
A hard, silica rich rock, black or brown coloured, commonly found in nodular form.
Lime Mortar
Lime
Calcium Oxide obtained by heating limestone in a kiln. Used as a constituent of modern mortar, or as slaked (non-hydraulic) lime in lime putty, daub, limewash and traditional lime plaster, mortar and renders.
Mortar
A mixture of lime or more recently cement with sand and water used for bonding stones or bricks.
Longford Rustic Slate
Rag Slate
Riven Slate
Killas
Cornish miner's term for slates formed during the Carboniferous and Devonian periods.
Slate
Collective term for a hard, fine grained, dark coloured metamorphic rock, which splits easily; hence its common use as a roofing and flooring material, and a functional description for any rectangular, sheet, roofing material.
Mosaic
Tessera
Squared block of glass, tile, stone or marble used in mosaic.
Mudstone
Shale
Soft, very fine grained, dark coloured, sedimentary rock which splits easily.
Northamptonshire Stone
Ironstone
Collective name for any stone that has become impregnated with iron oxide. Index with specific stone type where given.
Pargetting
Pargeting
External decorative plasterwork often incised or modelled with ornamental patterns. Usually applied to timber-framed houses, especially during 16th and 17th centuries.
Peat Brick
Peat
Part-decomposed vegetable matter formed under waterlogged conditions into a firm, brown deposit resembling soil. Used as a brick for infilling in timber framed walls.
Pise De Terre
Pise
Rammed earth or clay of a low moisture content used to make floors or walls, or found between shuttering.
Plymax
Plymetal
Structural board comprising a core of thin layers of wood bonded together, which is faced on one or both sides with a sheet of metal, usually galvanised steel or aluminium. Mainly used for external wall cladding.
Roofing Felt
Bituminous Felt
A material made of felted fibres bonded by bitumen. Often used as a roofing material.
Terracotta
Hard, unglazed, brown, versatile earthenware which can be used as a tile or moulded into statuary. Used in a structural or semi-structural context as a moulded hollow block.
Serpentinite
Serpentine
Medium to coarse grained, green to dark red/black coloured igneous rock, mainly found on The Lizard, South West Cornwall. Due to its fragmentary structure, Serpentine is mainly used for decorative and ornamental purposes.
Stainless Steel
High Tensile Steel
A strong alloy of steel.
Galvanised Steel
Galvanized Steel
Steel coated in zinc, giving good protection against weathering.
Steel
An alloy of iron and carbon, its strength makes it suitable for load bearing purposes. It is primarily used in structural steelwork and concrete reinforcement.
Stowey Stone
Hornton Stone
Compact grained, brown/yellow/green/grey blue, coloured liassic limestone.
Lias
Collective term for the building limestones formed during the Lower Jurassic period.
Stucco Lustro
Scagliola
Composite substance of plaster formed by gypsum, sand and lime and coloured with pigments, fixed under heat and highly polished. Used to imitate marble and popular in the 17th and 18th centuries for architectural features.
Swedish Green Granite
Syenite
Hard, coarse grained, green to pink coloured igneous rock. Commonly used as a polished cladding.
Uppingham Stone
Marlstone
Fine grained, iron rich, liassic limestone, found in Dorset, Somerset, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Marmo
Faience
Solid masonry slabs (tiles) of terracotta which are usually used as a cladding by bedding in concrete. Faience also refers to decorative glazed units.
Water Reed
Reed
The tall, straight stalks or stems formed by plants found in the wetland areas, particularly The Fens. Used as a roofing material, the reed is laid with the ends forming the exposed covering surface.
Efte Foil
Ethyltetrafluoroethylene Foil
Extremely thin foil made out of ethyltetraflouroethylene, a modified copolymer which is extruded into a thin film and which is related to Teflon. It has a very high level of light transmission in visible and ultra violet range. Used instead of glass.
Thermalite
Breeze Block
Lightweight building block traditionally made with coke breeze from gas works combined with sand and cement. Use this term generally to denote a light, modern concrete building block with man made characteristics.
Painted Wall Plaster
Painted Plaster
Plaster which has been painted either for decorative purposes or to protect it.
Bungeroosh
Bungaroosh
Composed of a wide variety of substances and materials such as whole or broken bricks, cobblestones, flints, pebbles and sand which are set into hydraulic lime. Used most often to form external walls and is commonly found in the Brighton/Lewes region.
Baltic Pine
Pine
Wood of a coniferous tree native to Scotland and Scandinavia.
Alabaster
Fine grained, whitish, granular variety of Gypsum. Suitable for carving.
Brass
Easily formed metal alloy composed of copper and zinc.
Gold
A precious metal characterised by its yellow colour and resistance to tarnishing.
Silver
A precious metal of lustrous white colour with great malleability and ductility.
Zinc
A hard and lustrous metallic element, used for roofing, galvanising iron and a component of alloys such as brass.
Metal
Class of elements and alloys that are characteristically lustrous,ductile, fusible and malleable. These are extracted from ore minerals originally existing in nature and processed before becoming a recognisable metal. See METAL Class List for narrow terms
Ashlar
A square, hewn or worked, high class freestone which can be 'freely' cut and is laid in horizontal courses with vertical joints.
Canvas
An unbleached cloth of hemp, flax or other coarse yarn.
Material <By Form>
A raw material determined by its form or a finished product material characterised by its end shape or form. See MATERIAL <BY FORM> Class List for narrow terms.
Artificial Timber
Synthetic fibres and reconstituted materials imitating, or in the form of, timber created by a man-made process. Use carefully - do not confuse with mock and sham timber work.
Fibreglass
Any material consisting of glass filaments woven into textiles, paper or board.
Man Made Material
A material or combination of materials manufactured by human effort, or fashioned into shape by man or a man made industrial process (excluding metal). See MAN MADE MATERIAL Class List for narrow terms.
Asphalt
Solid or viscous bituminous pitch of natural occurrence,or produced from petroleum mixed with sand or other aggregate filler, for use in roads or as a covering material
Tar
Thick, viscid liquid, obtained by the distillation of wood, coal or other organic substances, chemically a mixture of hydrocarbons with resins.
Tarmacadam
Road or paving material combining crushed stone, rolled and mixed with bitumen type mixer.
Bitumen
A semi solid mixture of complex hydrocarbons derived from coal or petroleum. Used as a waterproof binder or protective coating.
Bakelite
An early thermosetting plastic commonly used for its properties of electrical insulation.
Polycarbonate
Very tough transparent sheeting often used for security glazing.
Polyvinyl Chloride
A type of thermoplastic polymer which is versatile and cheap, often referred to as PVC. This includes plasticized PVC and unplasticized PVC (uPVC).
Plastic
Any of large class of polymers based on synthetic resins or modified natural polymers which may be moulded, extruded or cast while soft or liquid, which then set rigidly or slightly elastic in form.
Bamboo
Tropical giant grass with hollow stem used structurally or as a covering material.
Cedar
Durable wood from a non-native, evergreen conifer.
Cork
Buoyant, light material obtained from the cork tree.
Elm
Deciduous wood from the native elm tree, commonly used for framing or cladding of lesser timber framed structures due to its poorer weathering qualities as compared to oak.
Oak
A native hardwood of the Beech family with hard and durable characteristics which traditionally made it appropriate for structural work.
Wood
Hard, compact, unprocessed, fibrous cellulose substance. The roots, trunks and branches of trees and shrubs consist of this tissue.
Keinton Stone
Hard, white/grey coloured liassic limestone. Quarried near Somerton in Somerset.
Blue Lias
Hard white/grey coloured liassic limestone. Quarried on the Devon-Dorset border.
Bone
Any of the pieces of hard tissue consisting largely of calcium phosphate that make up the skeleton of a vertebrate animal.
Leather
Animal skin that has been hardened or treated by a tanning process.
Shell
Hard, protective covering made largely of calcium salts secreted by soft bodied invertebrate animals.
Animal
Pertaining to or deriving from a living organism. See ANIMAL Class list for narrow terms.
Breccia
Sedimentary rock consisting of angular fragments naturally cemented together.
Bronze
Hard, corrosive resistant alloy of copper and tin.
Cement Mix
A binder combined with various aggregates which sets and holds together into a mass which then hardens and gains strength.
Majolica
Fine earthenware with raised patterns of coloured decoration in the form of an enamel or coloured opaque glaze. Use for decorative wall facings.
Ceramic
Designating or pertaining to hard, brittle substances produced by strong heating of clay.
Clay Lump
Large, moulded, unburnt blocks of clay type soil laid in a similar way to brick, but bedded in lime and clay 'mortar'. The walls produced are characteristically thinner than those of cob and pise.
Mud
Wet soil, sand or other earthy matter combined with ballast and bonded with straw or other binding material. Walls are built in the absence of shuttering by the simple process of pitching in layers.
Marl
A mixed earthy substance consisting principally of clay mixed with calcium carbonate and sand in very variable proportions.
Brickearth
An unconsolidated geological deposit sometimes iused as a bonding material in stone walls.
Earth Mix
Unbaked clays and/or soil material often mixed with, or performing the function of an aggregate or binder. See EARTH MIX Class List for narrow terms.
Cobble
Naturally occurring glacial rock fragments (diameter 64-256mm) larger than pebble and smaller than boulder.
Connemara Marble
One of only three 'true' British marbles, green and white in colour, predominantly used in large public buildings.
Copper
Metal used primarily for roofing and ornamental purposes, being lighter and stronger than lead.
Daub
Application of earth based plaster to a backing of lath or wattle used in internal or external walls. Composite mixture which may include clay soil, dung, straw, lime putty, sand or horsehair.
Decorative Plaster
Ornate or patterned decoration, carved into or moulded from plaster.
Plaster
Lime plaster, consisting of lime and sand, is the oldest type of render. Applied externally to walls or onto laths for infill panels and usually limewashed.
Dolerite
Medium grained, intrusive, black or dark green coloured, igneous rock.
Feldspar
Hard, often coloured, can be transparent. Found on its own as crystals and veins but also as a major constituent of all three geological rock types.
Hornblende
Medium hard, green/black coloured. Found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Mineral
Natural inorganic substance possessing a definite chemical composition in a crystalline form. See MINERAL Class List for narrow terms.
Earth
Combination of organic and inorganic material cohered to form a hard solid wall or covering. Use for structures created by the excavation and piling up of earth, such as ice houses. Earth may be used in combination with other materials.
Porphyry
Traditional term for any fine to medium grained igneous rock, containing large crystal fragments.
Panel Board
Large board used for covering the internal surfaces of a building, ie. floors, walls and ceilings. Some forms can be used as external cladding.
Firestone
Soft sandstone stained by iron oxide often used in the Surrey area.
Solar Control Glass
Glass to control or reduce the effects of the sun, includes both reflective and absorpative types of glass.
Glass
Transparent, hard substance made by fusing soda-silica which solidifies from a molten state.
Gorse
A spiny evergreen shrub of the pea family which can be utilized as a roof covering in areas of its predominance, eg. heathland.
Seaweed
Multicellular marine alga, which grows on the seashore, in salt marshes, in brackish water or submerged in the ocean.
Grass
Ground-covering herbage, some varieties of which can be used, especially when dried and in large quantities, as a construction material.
Plant
Any tree, shrub or herb of cellulose form, normally subsisting in soil and producing its food through photosynthesis.
Gravel
Grains of rock fragment larger than coarse sand and finer than pebbles (diameter 2-4mm).
Greenstone
Geologist's term for any dark coloured, slightly metamorphosed igneous rock. Index with specific stone type where given.
Heather
A dwarf shrub of the heath family used as an alternative to straw as a roof covering in moorland regions. Cut while in bloom and laid with the roots carefully entwined. The covering turns a characteristic black colour with age.
Lath
Narrow strips of wood which can form the groundwork for slates, panels or plaster work.
Sheet Lead
Lead which has been rolled into a sheet and often used as a roof covering.
Lead
Metal used primarily for roof coverings and window fittings. It is easy to work, can be worked cold and does not rust which makes it suitable for holding or repelling water.
Long Straw
Composed of loose uncombed lengths of harvested wheat which are formed into bundles for laying. Distinctive appearance with both ears and butts visible on the surface traditionally using hazel spars which hold the straw in place.
Combed Wheat Reed
A form of thatching straw composed of stems that have been combed mechanically to remove grain and extraneous waste material without crushing the stem.
Straw
Roofing material consisting of stems or stalks of wheat, rye, oats or barley separated from grain and laid flat in 'yealms' which form an overlapping surface which sheds water.
Mathematical Tile
Tile nailed externally to a wall and usually laid in mortar designed to present a brick-like appearance.
Moorstone
Stonemason's name for granite found lying upon the moorland surface, as opposed to having been quarried, in the West Country and the Lake District. Used, as found, since prehistoric times, in later years was often dressed and shaped.
Pantile
Curved, interlocking roof tile of S-shaped section usually made of clay or concrete.
Paper
Thin flexible sheets made from the pulp of wood or other fibrous matter.
Vegetal
Pertaining to or deriving from a botanical living organism. See VEGETAL Class List for narrow terms.
Pebble
Rock fragment (diameter 4-64mm) larger than gravel and smaller than cobble, combined with other material e.g. flint, for decorative effect.
Pebbledash
A render with small washed stones added as aggregate. Popular in the early 20th century.
Plywood
Thin layers of wood, bonded together to form a structural board. The grain of the adjacent layers lie across one another to give structural strength. Produced since mid 19th century for use in interior joinery, since 1930's for exterior use.
Polyphant
Compact, grey/green/brown/white-speckled coloured igneous rock, peculiar to Cornwall. It is easy to carve and readily takes a polish, hence its similarity to British marbles.
Puddingstone
Conglomerate consisting of rounded flint pebbles held together in a natural silica and sand cement.
Quartz
Hard, transparent, often coloured mineral. Can be found on its own as crystals and veins but also as a major constituent of rocks such as granite. Often used decoratively.
Reinforced Concrete
Aggregate, cement and mortar combined with structural elements of iron or steel mesh or rod reinforcement to form stonelike masses for load bearing, structural building work.
Rhyolite
Fine grained, acidic, light-grey/white/ brown/red-coloured igneous rock.
Roman Cement
Technically a quick setting hydraulic cement or lime,but term has been adapted to denote cement made from burning lumps of marl found in London clay,a technique adopted for C19th building work. Name not intended to denote a relationship with Roman period
Rubber
Flexible, synthetic, polymeric organic material formed by chemical synthesis usually in imitation of a natural substance. It can be moulded to shape, extruded or formed into a sheet from solid or foam material.
Rubble
Rough, unhewn, undressed building stones with irregular faces, generally not laid in regular courses. Index with type of stone if specified.
Sand
Granular material consisting of small eroded fragments of rock or mineral grains, finer than gravel used as an ingredient in mortar and other traditional building materials.
Septaria
Conglomerate consisting of nodules of calcium rich clay (marl). Used as a building stone from Roman times and as a key ingredient in Parker's Roman Cement, between 1796 and circa 1850.
Shingle
Wooden roof tile (traditionally oak) which is riven or sawn from good quality timber to a regular size and used as a roof and/or wall covering. Index with type of wood if known.
Siltstone
Fine grained, yellow/buff to grey/black coloured sedimentary rock.
Slurry
Cement/water mix often used as covering. Use this for entries including slurrying and slurried.
Thatch
Traditional roof covering consisting of materials such as reed, straw or heather layered and fastened together onto roof to form a run off to prevent water penetration.
Tin
Malleable metal used for roofing and for alloys such as bronze.
Turf
Layer of grass with earth and matted roots cut from the ground and used for earth buildings and as a covering material.
Wattle
Wooden rods or stakes which can be interlaced with twigs or branches to make walls or fences, or more commonly, to form the basis of panels in traditional timber framed buildings which are then covered with daub.
Weatherboard
Length of timber boarding (usually elm, now pine) fixed horizontally or vertically to the exterior of a structure which may be 'tongue and grooved' or 'feathered' to provide external protection.
Whinstone
Northern quarryman's name for any fine grained, dark grey/black to green coloured igneous rock. Index with specific stone type where given.
Woodwool Slab
A sheet or board made from a mixture of thin strips of wood and cement which are bound together through compression within a mould. Woodwool slabs are used for roof or wall cladding, providing fire resistance, and heat and sound insulation.
Hertfordshire Puddingstone
A conglomerate rock comprising well rounded flint pebbles in a very hard matrix of fine pale coloured sand, bound together by hard natural silica cement. The pebbles are usually coloured ochre or red and have black rims.