Caithness Stone

Underneath the majority of Caithness to a depth of 4000 meters you will find old red sandstone, formed during the Devonian period, when sediments of Lake Orcadie cemented together.  Lake Orcadie stretched from Shetland to Grampian about 370 million years ago.  Fish and plant remains are found fossilised throughout the stone.

Due to the way the stone was formed it splits along the sediments easily, to make flat slabs.  With properties similar to those of granite caithness flagstone is extremely strong & durable.  It makes it a useful building material and has been used since Neolithic times. Throughout the region brochs and other buildings constructed 1000's of years ago can be found, this material is still used today throughout the county for construction of dry stone walls, houses & floors.

Modern technology has allowed a wide range of other items to be created from the stone.  From furniture, bathroom fixtures, flooring, ornaments & laser etched designs.

At Braal Castle we created paths, steps & rockeries out of the flag stones.  The castle itself is built out of a mixture of materials, mainly of Caithness stone, but also of yellow sandstone, probably from the Moray area.

Caithness stone is exported all over the world, it is found down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, it has been used in the Scottish parliament building, it can be found in India, Boston, New York & Ireland to name just a few places.  There are a number of operational quarries in the area.