Crewkerne's mix of roofs
Read the listing entries for Market Street and East Street and you find a surprising mix of roof coverings on neighbouring buildings. That variety is the defining thing about roofing in Crewkerne. Many of the listed buildings in the centre are coursed limestone rubble trimmed with golden Ham Hill stone dressings, such as quoins, lintels and sills, but their roofs vary from plain tiles to slate and pantiles. One Market Street listing even records a plain tile roof with stone slates on its lower courses, next to a main block re-covered at some point in double Roman concrete tiles. Some of the grander houses, faced entirely in Ham Hill ashlar, have slate roofs, sometimes hipped.
The town made its money from cloth, then from sailcloth for the Royal Navy and from webbing. A hemp mill on North Street became a sailcloth works, a webbing factory stood on South Street, and in Georgian times the town also prospered as a coaching stop. Beyond the old centre the town spread outwards in the twentieth century, and its newer houses and bungalows typically have concrete tiles, uPVC roofline and the occasional flat-roofed extension.
Hills, valleys and south-westerly weather
Crewkerne sits beside the headwaters of the River Parrett, on the complicated ground of the Windwhistle Ridge. St Bartholomew's church stands on high ground to the west of the town centre. Weather arrives mostly from the south-west, and homes on the higher roads and open hillsides catch the wind properly. On sheltered lower streets the bigger enemy is persistent damp: lichen and moss on north-facing slopes, blocked valley gutters and soft mortar washing out of ridges.
Old roofs here often have deep valleys where two slopes meet, and parapets or coped gables where the roof tucks in behind stone. Those junctions depend on lead, and lead that has split, crept or been patched with mastic is one of the most common causes of leaks we see. Ham stone itself weathers too, so where a roof meets a decayed coping or chimney the flashing can lose its grip.
Chimneys are the other weak point. Many older houses here have tall brick or stone stacks rising through the ridge or sitting on a gable, and decades of frost and rain loosen the pots, wash out the pointing and crack the flaunching on top. Water that gets in at the top of a stack often travels down inside and shows as a stain on a chimney breast far below, which is why we check stacks properly rather than just glancing at them from the ground. On a terrace, where one stack can serve several houses, that inspection matters even more.
Listed buildings and the conservation area
Crewkerne's conservation area was designated in 1973 and covers around 56 hectares of the historic town. Within it stand over 150 listed buildings. St Bartholomew's church is Grade I, eight more are Grade II*, and Victoria Hall in Market Square is listed Grade II. The railway station, which stands in neighbouring Misterton and was designed by Sir William Tite, is listed Grade II as well.
A listing covers the whole building, roof included, so swapping one covering for another, adding rooflights or removing a stack normally needs listed building consent from Somerset Council. Inside the conservation area, even an unlisted house may need consent for some visible roof changes. If in doubt, ask the council's planning team first. We are happy to photograph the existing roof and write up what is there to help.
Work we do most in Crewkerne
Because so many roofs are a patchwork of earlier repairs, we are often asked to bring one back to a single, sound condition. Our roof restoration service covers re-fixing and replacing tiles or slates to match, renewing ridges and verges, and clearing moss without damaging the surface. Where the leak comes from a valley, parapet or abutment, we strip out the old metal and fit new lead valleys and flashings cut and dressed to suit the roof.
Older lofts were rarely built with ventilation in mind, and once insulation is added condensation can build up on the underside of the roof. Adding vents at the eaves and ridge through our roof ventilation work keeps the timbers dry. On the newer estates we replace failing felt on garages and extensions with modern flat roofing systems. When a storm leaves a hole, call us for urgent roof repairs and we will make it watertight before quoting for the permanent job.
From first call to finished roof
It starts with a call to 07933 861 087 or a message through the contact page. We visit at no charge, as there is no call-out fee, and take photos of everything we find so you are not taking our word for it. You then receive a written quote. Once you are happy and a date is agreed, we carry out the work, clear up as we go and take all the old materials away.
Crewkerne and surrounding villages
We cover every part of the town, including the centre around Market Square, Church Street and Abbey Street, Hermitage Street, Kithill and Park View to the south, Wadham Park to the north, plus Misterton by the station. Nearby we work in Hinton St George, Merriott, Haselbury Plucknett, East Chinnock, West Crewkerne and Wayford.
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