Collyweston Slate's decline and revival charted in new book by journalist Joshua Parfitt

The history of an ancient local industry, brought back to life in recent years and booming once again, has been charted in a new book.

Back to the Slate Mines, the debut book of journalist Joshua Parfitt, illustrates the history, methods and secrets of the Collyweston Slate industry which dates back to Roman times

Joshua, 29, grew up in Collyweston and has a long personal connection with the industry.

“I spent every summer’s day in the abandoned slate mines in the Deeps behind our Collyweston house,” he recalled.

“We used to believe they were the lairs of the mythical Collyweston Panther.

“It wasn’t until I started work on this book around 2017 that it all fell into place.”

Joshua has lived in Spain since 2019 when he went to run the Costa Blanca edition of the Olive Press newspaper, an English language investigative newspaper.

He is the third generation of journalists and authors in his family.

His mum Jo has written 32 books and runs Summertime Publishing, while Jo’s father, the late Stamford-based author, Peter Gosling wrote more than 30 books.

Joshua’s book, which was funded by Collyweston-based traditional building contractor Messenger BCR, features interviews with former slaters as well as Nigel Smith who re-opened the Slate Drift mine in Collyweston in 2019 - the first reopening in 50 years.

The industry fell into decline in the 1960s and 70s as climate change made it impossible to process the raw limestone material into slates by traditional methods.

However, it was revived thanks to a new technique of splitting Collyweston Slate artificially in freezer lorries using freeze-thaw processes.

Joshua had first-hand experience of working with the material while researching the book, spending two days slating a roof with Messenger slater Phil Stubely.

He also spent many hours trawling archives from the Priest’s House in Easton, the former Collyweston village museum, and Stamford Library.

“Ours is one of two traditions in the UK that used freeze thaw to split limestone into slates," Joshua said.

“The other tradition died out in 1910, and ours nearly died out in the 1960s. It’s a miracle it has still survived.”

Back to the Slate Mines is available in Stamford at Walkers Books and St Mary’s Books and Prints.