BURLINGTON Slate has helped to put a roof over the taxman by supplying more than 60 tonnes of Westmorland Green roofing slate for London's Somerset House, opened by the Queen Mother last year.

The slates have been used to reinstate the roof on the west wing of the Grade 1 listed building, home to the Inland Revenue.

Built in 1724 by Sir William Chambers, on the site of a 16th century royal palace, Somerset House has been restored to its former glory and is now open to the public.

Malcolm Hatch, joint managing director of Kirkby-in-Furness-based Burlington, said of the project: "We are extremely proud to have been involved in such a remarkable undertaking.

The use of our roofing slate adds the finishing touch to this piece of architectural history and we are sure it will become a popular attraction in the country's capital."

Burlington has been producing roofing slate for centuries and says it is this understanding of the product within a historical context that helped the architects to restore Somerset House so effectively.

Overlooking the River Thames, Somerset House contains a lecture theatre, museums and galleries celebrating collections of decorative arts and impressionist paintings.