In fact, we enjoy the process of bringing back what some might consider a waste product to something beautiful and useful, almost as much as we enjoy finding the right product for a customer.
We are quite particular at Winchcombe Reclamation about what we do and how we do it. We naturally dislike wastefulness and always endeavour to be resourceful in employing our efforts to minimize generating waste. For example broken bricks and tiles that are unsellable are used by local farmers for hardcore for tracks and gateways. Offcuts of timber are chopped into firewood for our family and staff for open fires during the winter. Broken and shaled slate is put aside for packing or garden mulch. Crates, cages and pallets are reused until they fall apart. Metals are separated and taken to the scrap yard. In fact we only generate 5 or 6 skips worth of waste a year. We continue to try to reduce this even further each year. There are areas for improvement and at present we are looking for a biodegradable wrap for pallets that does not degrade in our yard. We only use registered waste carriers to dispose of our waste.
We aim to tread as lightly as we can on our own immediate environment. Our yard is both our livelihood and the home to many, many animals and we try to respect that as we work. We have seen kingfishers and herons along the riverbank, and trout in the River Isbourne that borders our yard. We leave an area of the bottom yard wild to provide a natural riverbank and floodplain habitat. In this we have seen lizards, grass snakes basking so we constructed a 'hotel' for them from stacked pallets and ridge tiles. We also border Toddington railway line and so have rabbits and their predators, foxes and buzzards as regular visitors. In our shed we share the summer months with a family of swallows. We spend the spring anxiously awaiting their arrival and then when they do arrive, tolerate the mess as they rear their young. Then we worry about their long journey to South Africa. We also have pied wagtails, blue tits and wrens that nest about the yard. We have been known on more than one occasion to refuse to sell or move stock to prevent nesting birds from being disturbed.
We are proactive in our approach to our work as we become aware of problems or issues we do and will continue to adapt our business to be fair and considerate.
We think very carefully about what we buy and from whom. We abhor the horrendous practices of using forced, bonded or economic slavery to produce "cheap" items. We also wholeheartedly disapprove of the environmental damage wreaked by their production. Therefore we do not stock or recommend some products that are available for sale in the reclaimed business. We ask some tough questions of our suppliers and then ask them to prove them.
Where possible we like to be actively involved with the salvaging of our stock, this means we can protect and save as much as possible. It also means that for the majority of our stock we are able to provide you the reassurance of knowing exactly where it comes from. We are also proud to be a member of the Salvo Code of Practice which actively promotes good practices in the reclamation trade to discourage selling products that are stolen, and provides mechanisms to report to the police to prevent and catch thieves and return stolen items to their owners.
Originally used on all buildings from manor houses to pigsties, these limestone slates or 'slats' as they were locally known, were produced throughout the Cotswolds. From the Collywestons found in Northamptonshire, to the thinner Oxfordshire Stonesfield slates, the production of stone roof tiles was prolific from as early as the sixteenth century. The main difference amongst these tiles, apart from slight regional variants in the stone itself, is the way in which they are produced. A Stonesfield slate is made by letting the newly quarried stone tiles or 'presents' frost and naturally split creating a generally thinner, flatter tile whereas the Forest Marble slates would be split by hand giving a heavier, rougher trimmed tile such as those found in the Tetbury area. Over time 'Stonesfield slates' has become a generic term used to refer to all thinner stone tiles and 'Tetbury tile' is commonly used to describe those of a heavier nature.
At Winchcombe Reclamation, we try our upmost to conserve this traditional material; redressing those secondhand tiles that come in to us to make them usable once more. However, original stone tiles are getting increasingly hard to find. There are a handful of quarries throughout the Cotswolds producing new Cotswold stone tiles but the quality of the 'presents' tends to vary. There is also now a flood of imported alternatives on the market too.
Winchcombe Reclamation are specialist suppliers of reclaimed Cotswold stone slates with a knowledge of both the product and its application. We stock various stone tile in large quantities and also stock good runs of reclaimed stone ridge to match. Our approach may be different to that of other suppliers. Rather than selling the reclaimed stone slates as they come off the roof (mixed sizes, varied quality) our stock is hand sorted, measured, re-drilled if needed and re-dressed. This means that we work on very little or no waste and generate less labour for the roofer; preventing them from having to spend time sorting through a mixed cage to measure out what tiles they have on site. We can supply just the tiles that you need for your project whether it is for repair works of complete re-roofs. Initially, a free site visit and consultation will enable us to provide a full quote and a batten schedule can be provided for your roofer.
Reclaimed Cotswold stone is one of our specialities here at Winchcombe Reclamation with us sourcing large quantities of this material for stock, often through our own demolition works. This enables us to ensure consistancy and quality for our customers and, by having such a varied stock, we are often able to offer choices to find the most sympathetic stone match for your project.