This guide describes Herefordshire's local building stones in their geological context. It includes examples of buildings and structures where the stones have been used. A striking feature of the stone buildings in most parts of the county is the variability of the stone itself, especially within the churches. There is none of the uniformity of, for example, a Cotswolds village. The stone varies in colour and texture, often within a single wall, ranging from purple-red to greenish-grey and including coarse-grained sandstones through to well-laminated, fine-grained sandstones and very soft siltstones. This is particularly the case with the lithologies of the Raglan Mudstone Formation and the St Maughans Formation.