Roofs, Tile Hanging and Thatch
Roofs and Tile Hanging
The diversity, richness and warmth of clay tiles helps give many
Wealden buildings their special architectural character. Its
abundant use as a roofing and cladding material is a reflection of
the underlying geology of the area, which in turn is responsible
for the numerous local variations in colour and texture of
clays.
While you will not require Listed Building Consent to repair or
replace small areas of damaged or slipped tiles, you will require
Listed Building Consent to strip and re-tile either a roof, one
slope of a roof, or an elevation of tile-hanging or mathematical
tiling.
An application will be judged at several levels:
Firstly, is a complete re-tile necessary?
Often, problems of water ingress are due to lack of maintenance
such as
- Deterioration of mortar between the ridge tiles
- Failure to clear leaves and debris from guttering and valley
gutters
- Failure to remove any vegetation growth from the roof slopes,
and often, simple remedial action of re-pointing the ridge and
general debris removal so as to enable an effective dispersal of
water of the roof should have an immediate benefit.
Further, inadequate guttering provision and poor flashing
details around dormers and roof lights can provide weak junction
points vulnerable to water ingress, and work to these areas may
also solve certain problems, alleviating the need for other, more
disruptive and costly work.
Secondly, what are the implications of such work on the
architectural and historic character of the particular
building?
An old roof slope or elevation of tile hanging usually displays
attractive aesthetic qualities of patina of age, and surface
undulations reflecting gradual movement of the structure over its
lifetime, and these may be lost in a complete re-tile.
Also, there will be a high degree of tile replacement – usually
approximately 30%, and approval of replacements will usually be a
condition of any listed building consent.
Other considerations include amendments to eaves detailing and
provision for adequate ventilation of roof timbers if it is
proposed to install felt under the tiles, (though this is not
always necessary for building performance purposes).
Several relatively local tile manufacturers are now producing
new hand made clay tiles in a variety of shades, textures and
cambers, and many are available in special sizes, including the old
‘Kent Peg’ size, tapered oast tiles, ornamental tiles, and
mathematical tiles. These are suitable for both patch repairs and
re-tiling projects, as well as extensions to listed buildings.
Most manufacturers have a specific style, and you are advised to
obtain several different samples in order to find those most
suitable to your particular building. Manufacturers include:
- Aldershaw Handmade Clay Tiles - 01424 756777
- Babylon Tile Works - 01622 843018
- Keymer Handmade Tiles - 01444 232931
- Robus Ceramics - 01233 750330
- Spicer Tiles - 01233 820180
- Tudor Roof Tile Co. Limited - 01797 320202
Thatch
The following text has been devised by the Kent Conservation
Officers Group in accordance with English Heritage Guidelines, with
the support of the Kent Planning Officers Group. It has been
adopted by Ashford Borough Council as Supplementary Planning
Guidance.
Thatch is one of the oldest methods of roofing a building. In
Kent, longstraw was traditionally used. Long-straw has a
distinctive appearance; the eaves and barges are invariably
decorated with a pattern of liggers and the roof covering looks as
if it has ‘poured’ onto the roof. The ridges of long-straw roofs
are usually flush and block ridges are inappropriate to the local
scene. There has been a tendency since 1945 to replace long-straw
thatch with water reed or combed wheat reed.
- Long-straw thatch should be used for re-thatching of existing
thatched buildings
- Where thatch has been lost to other materials, the
reinstatement of long-straw thatch will be encouraged. (The barns
at Little Grays Farm at Marshside are an example where thatching
with longstraw has restored the traditional appearance)
- Thatched roofs should be preserved and listed building consent
will not be given for their replacement with different roof
materials
- If mediaeval thatch survives with its characteristic smoke
blackening it should be retained in-situ and overlaid
- Roofs should normally be thatched in long-straw (which is the
thatch traditional to Kent), using local ways of detailing eaves,
ridges and verges.
Listed Building Consent will be required for the following works
on Listed thatched buildings:
- A proposed removal of material which is of historic or
archaeological importance
- A proposed change of material between long-straw and water reed
and any other botanically distinct species
- A proposed change of material between long-straw and combed
wheat reed, which may be botanically the same but have been
prepared differently
- A proposed change of thatching method between the main
styles
- A proposed change of external appearance or surface
configuration, such as the formation of a different ridge Where
thatch is being considered for new buildings, a ‘contemporary’
thatching material such as water reed or combed wheat reed, may be
appropriate and this would maintain a variety of thatching
styles
Further information is available from the following
organisations:
English Heritage publish
‘Thatch and Thatching; a guidance note product code XH20106,
available free of charge
Customer Services telephone : 020 7973 3000 (Switchboard)
The Society for the Protection of Ancient
Buildings offer technical advice on all aspects of maintaining
historic buildings, and publish a pamphlet: ‘The Care and Repair of
Thatched Roofs’
Telephone : 020 7377 1644
Building
Conservation publishes articles on thatching and a
directory of suppliers of thatch and thatching contractors
If you require any further general advice about listed buildings
or conservation areas please contact our Planning Enquiries Team on
01233 330264 or contact us
via email.
This webpage was updated on
4/1/2009