The Island That Roofed The World

They call Luing ‘the island that roofed the world’. With good reason, it’s the largest of Scotland’s slate islands and it’s believed Iona Cathedral is roofed with slate from Luing. The Scottish slate industry declined after World War II: faced with a lack of labour, cheaper imported material and a move towards roof tiles, falling investment ultimately led to the demise of the slate production on this tiny isle. All that might be about to change.

The Isle of Luing Community Trust have been exploring the opportunities a small-scale slate enterprise could bring to the island, and we’ve been supporting them. Could Scotland’s slate industry be about to get a second chance?