Cotswold stone alternative: Duna and Perla
Cotswold stone is the limestone of the Cotswold villages, oolitic for its round grains as fine as sand, and runs from cream to gold depending on the area. Away from the Cotswolds its colour is what gets sought for walling, slips and paving. Duna covers the honey and golden tones of the north; Perla, the creams of the south. Both are calcareous sandstones with 73 MPa in compression and 12.6 % open porosity, against the 10 to 24 MPa and 21 to 30 % given by the limestone datasheets.
Cotswold stone
- Type:
- Middle Jurassic oolitic limestone (Inferior Oolite)
- Origin:
- The Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire (UK)
- Colour:
- Cream to honey and gold; paler when freshly quarried
The Cotswold quarries remain active and their limestone is the stone of a protected landscape, where the district design code states that the colour must suit each locality. Outside that context, the alternative answers a different question: how to get the Cotswold honey or cream on walling, slips or paving with a stone that, walked on or in bending, has more margin than an oolitic limestone of 10 to 24 MPa in compression.
Duna
Tan calcareous sandstone with orange hues, from our own quarry. For walling, slips, setts and facades, with work supplied in London and Barcelona.
View stone
Perla
Fine-grained perlatto cream calcareous sandstone, with the same test sheet as Duna. For facades, walling and pool copings.
View stoneTechnical comparison
| Property | Cotswold stone | Duna · Perla |
|---|---|---|
| Petrographic family | Oolitic limestone (Inferior Oolite, Middle Jurassic) | Calcarenite (calcareous sandstone) · Calcarenite |
| Colour | Cream to honey and gold; paler when freshly quarried | Tan with orange hues · Perlatto cream |
| Apparent density | 1,900 to 2,200 kg/m³ (published data) | 2,410 · 2,410 kg/m³ |
| Compressive strength | 10 to 24 MPa depending on the quarry | 73 · 73 MPa |
| The Cotswold range brings together four datasheets from different quarries in the same formation. | ||
| Flexural strength | 2 to 5 MPa | 8.5 · 8.5 MPa |
| Freeze-thaw | Compression from 13.9 to 12.2 MPa after freeze-thaw on one datasheet; no deterioration on another | Bending from 8.5 to 7.9 MPa after 56 cycles, on both |
| The Cotswold datasheets measure compression after frost and the Duna and Perla sheets measure bending, so the percentages are not comparable with each other. | ||
| Open porosity / water absorption | 21 to 30 % open porosity; 8 to 12 % absorption | 12.6 % · 12.6 % open porosity |
| Duna and Perla have no absorption figure on their datasheets, so the row reads by open porosity. | ||
| Abrasion | 36 mm on the BRE datasheet of one of the quarries | 25 · 25 mm |
| That datasheet keeps the limestone to light traffic; at 25 mm, Duna and Perla suit pedestrian use. | ||
| Slip resistance | Not tested on the datasheets reviewed | 94 dry, 78 wet (SRV), on both |
| Pendulum value: the higher, the more grip; 36 marks the low-risk threshold. | ||
| Finishes | Split-face rubble, tooled ashlar and roofing slates | Duna: honed, pitched, stripped and aged · Perla: bush-hammered and aged; no flamed finish on either |
| Supply | Limestone from active quarries in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire | Own-quarry sandstone, cut at our factory in Lleida, with work already supplied in London |
Duna and Perla cover the Cotswold colour on new-build work away from the Cotswolds, in a distributor’s range and on pieces that are walked on or work in bending. In the Cotswolds, the design code sets the colour by locality and the limestone still comes out of its quarries. The likeness to that limestone is one of colour; in grain and family, Duna and Perla are calcareous sandstones.
The Cotswold tones, from Duna to Perla
The colour of the limestone changes along the Cotswolds. The district design code describes it as lighter creams and some greyer tones to the south, and deeper creams and rich honey further north. Freshly quarried it is paler, and the quarry datasheets describe vertical walls mellowing to honey while horizontal surfaces slowly turn greyer. Duna, tan with orange hues, sits close to the honey and gold of the north. Perla, perlatto cream, covers the creams of the south. In both cases the tone is settled with the sample next to the reference.
Compression, porosity and frost
Compressive strength measures the load the stone carries before it crushes, and flexural strength the load carried by a piece supported at its ends. On the Cotswold datasheets, compression runs from 10 to 24 MPa and bending from 2 to 5 MPa; open porosity, the volume of voids open to water, sits between 21 and 30 %. Duna and Perla give 73 MPa in compression, 8.5 MPa in bending and 12.6 % open porosity. After 56 freeze-thaw cycles they retain 7.9 MPa in bending, 7 % less. One Cotswold datasheet measures compression after freeze-thaw and drops from 13.9 to 12.2 MPa, 12 % less; another records no deterioration after the same test. In abrasion, a BRE datasheet for a Cotswold limestone gives 36 mm and reserves the stone for lightly trafficked areas; Duna and Perla give 25 mm, for pedestrian use.
Recommended uses for Duna and for Perla
We recommend Duna for walling and ashlar, cladding slips, setts and facades. In Greenwich Park, London, it is laid as setts in the 2024 heritage restoration. On the Hotel Universal in Barcelona it clads the facade in 4 cm pieces, chosen for its likeness to the historic Montjuïc stone, whose quarry is exhausted. At Mas de la Costa it resolves arches, mouldings and outdoor paving in pitched and rustic finishes. We recommend Perla for facades, walling and large formats in the creams, and for pool copings. Slips and ashlar are cut in Duna and in Perla at our factory in Lleida.
Frequently asked questions
Is Duna a Cotswold stone?
No. Cotswold stone is a Jurassic oolitic limestone and Duna a calcareous sandstone from our quarry in Lleida. What they share is the honey and golden tone; the grain, the texture and the test values are those of a different stone.
Do you supply cladding slips in Cotswold tones?
Yes. We cut cladding slips in Duna and in Perla, as well as ashlar, flags and setts. Tell us the format and the square metres and we will confirm sizes and availability with the sample.
Which of the two for paving?
Both share the same test sheet, with 25 mm abrasion and 78 wet pendulum, so pedestrian paving takes either and the choice is one of tone. For streets with vehicular traffic, look at Northcliff Blue.
Do you have work in the UK in Duna?
Yes. Greenwich Park Revealed, in London, commissioned by The Royal Parks with David Morley Architects. Duna setts go in the busiest walkways and in the most representative areas of the park.
Check availability and lead time
Send us the colour reference you need to match, the format (slip, ashlar, flag or sett) and the square metres. We will prepare Duna and Perla samples and tell you which comes closest.
- Availability, lead time and price with your measurements
- Physical sample free of charge for professionals
- Technical datasheet with test values