A seaside town with a long roofing history
Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 1700s, when it began to grow as a seaside resort, helped by a spa built near the church. The railway reached the town by 1858, along with a stone pier, and the resort grew from there. Most of its roofs date from one of three periods.
Regency and early Victorian seafront
The oldest resort houses face the sea along the Esplanade and Berrow Road. Nos. 46 and 47 The Esplanade are early 19th-century, rendered and colourwashed, with two-storey canted bays and a slate roof that later gained a box dormer. Nos. 52 to 58 are mid-Victorian ashlar under slate. On Berrow Road, Nos. 4, 6 and 8 went up between 1838 and 1841, with stucco fronts, brick backs and tiled roofs.
Victorian streets behind the front
Behind the front you find Victorian terraces and semis, including the terrace on Victoria Street. Railway workers' housing went up in south Burnham once the Somerset and Dorset works opened at Highbridge in 1862. Houses of this age often have roofs at the stage where battens, felt and nails need renewing, not just the odd slate.
Twentieth-century and newer homes
Further inland, and in the suburbs north of the old centre, there are 1960s and 1970s detached houses and newer estates. In the 20th century the town also grew through holiday camps, and holiday parks and chalets add another set of roofs to look after. Many of these newer homes are now old enough to need their first proper roof overhaul.
Living with Bridgwater Bay
Burnham sits where the River Parrett meets Bridgwater Bay, and the tide here can go out more than two kilometres. The seafront looks west over open water, so westerly gales arrive at full strength. The storm of 1981 damaged around 400 properties, and the sea wall finished in 1988 runs for 1.6 km along the front.
A sea wall protects houses from the water, but it does nothing for their roofs. On seafront homes, salt spray corrodes nails, clips and gutter brackets. Driving rain finds its way behind render on parapets and chimney stacks. Lead on bay roofs and dormer cheeks also takes a beating from the weather. A few streets back the wind eases a little, but most Burnham roofs still feel the salt air.
Conservation area and listed buildings
Burnham-on-Sea's conservation area covers about 9.5 hectares of the seafront and the old church area. It includes the Grade I church of St Andrew, whose 14th-century tower leans noticeably because of poor foundations. Listed houses include Steart House and parts of the Esplanade and Berrow Road. The High Lighthouse of 1830, now a private home, and the wooden-legged Low Lighthouse on the beach off Gore Road are both listed too.
Since 2023, Burnham's planning decisions have been made by Somerset Council rather than Sedgemoor. Owners of a listed seafront house should ask the council before replacing slate with something else, reshaping a dormer or putting in rooflights, and anyone inside the conservation area boundary should ask too.
What Burnham owners need most
- Bays, dormers and parapets. These details let water in first on seafront terraces. We renew the lead and flashings through our leadwork and flashing service.
- Slate repairs. Slipped or cracked slates on Victorian roofs are replaced like for like, often with reclaimed slate to match. Our general roof repair work covers this.
- Salt-worn roofline. Fascias, soffits and bargeboards near the front weather fast. We fit new fascias and soffits in low-maintenance materials.
- Flat roofs. Rear extensions, garages and holiday lets often sit under flat roofs, and the older ones split and pond. We fit replacement flat roofs built to cope with coastal weather.
- Chimney stacks. Victorian stacks on the terraces behind the front are often shared between neighbours. Salt and driving rain break down the pointing and flaunching, and our chimney repair service covers both.
- Loft insulation. Many older Burnham homes still have far less than the 270 mm of mineral wool now recommended. Our loft insulation installs keep more heat in during windy winters.
Burnham has a large older population, and many owners want a clear answer without any pressure. We explain the problem plainly, show you the photos, and leave the decision with you.
Booking us in Burnham
Ring 07933 861 087, or fill in our free quote form with a few details about the roof, to get things moving. Our visit carries no call-out fee. Up on the roof, we take pictures of each fault and share them with you, and a priced, written proposal comes next. Holiday-let owners can choose dates between guests. Old slates, lead offcuts and packaging all leave with us on the final day.
Where we work around Burnham
We cover the whole TA8 area: the Esplanade and seafront, the town centre and High Street, Berrow Road, Victoria Street and the streets around St Andrew's church, the northern suburbs, Berrow, and Brean along the coast. Inland, we work in Brent Knoll and East Brent, and by the mouth of the River Brue in neighbouring Highbridge.
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