A lias-stone town on a ridge
Somerton sits on a low ridge above a crossing of the River Cary, and its old centre is built largely of local lias, the grey limestone dug around this part of Somerset. On better buildings, golden Ham stone is used for the dressings. St Michael and All Angels, the Grade I parish church, shows the pattern clearly: cut and squared lias walls trimmed with Ham stone. West Street, Broad Street and North Street hold the greatest concentration of old houses, many of them from the 17th century, and lias is the stone you see most.
The roofs above those walls vary more than the stone does. The listed buildings alone show four main types.
- Clay double Roman tiles. Found on cottages such as 10 West Street and Still Cottage on North Street.
- Clay pantiles. The main roof of the Market House in Market Place is pantiled.
- Stone slates. Used for smaller hipped roofs, such as the oriel bays of the same Market House.
- Welsh slate behind a parapet. Seen on smarter 19th-century fronts, such as the bank where Broad Street meets Market Place.
The newer side of Somerton
In the 20th century Somerton grew quickly as a place to live for people working in Taunton and Yeovil. Estates went up on both sides of Behind Berry and across part of the Millands, and new housing filled in the West End. Homes of that era typically have concrete interlocking tiles, uPVC or timber fascias, and often a flat-roofed garage or extension at the side. They are simpler roofs than the ones in Market Place, but they age in predictable ways: ridge mortar cracks, valleys wear, and felt flat roofs reach the end of their life.
Wind across open country
Being on raised ground with open farmland around it means Somerton takes the weather as it comes, and wet south-westerlies hit exposed gable ends hard. Driven rain finds the weak points: the joint where a roof meets a parapet, the lead apron round a chimney, a verge where the mortar has gone. Parapet roofs are a particular worry because the gutter sits out of sight behind the wall. When a parapet outlet clogs with leaves, the water rises behind the wall and spills under the slates or into the masonry before anyone notices.
Planning rules in Somerton's conservation area
Somerton's conservation area was designated in 1970 and covers around 52 hectares. It contains more than 100 listed buildings, including the Grade I church, a dozen at Grade II* such as the Market House, and many more at Grade II. The market cross is also a scheduled monument.
In practice, owners of listed homes should expect most roof changes to need consent, applied for through Somerset Council, which took over planning here when the South Somerset district was wound up in 2023. If a house sits in the conservation area but is not listed, changing materials or adding rooflights may still need permission. The safe course is to check with the planning team first. We point this out when we quote and can supply photos and a description of the proposed work for your application.
Roofing jobs we take on in Somerton
On the older houses, much of the work is careful pitched roof repair: lifting and relaying clay double Roman tiles, swapping cracked pantiles for matching ones, and refixing stone slates that have slipped. Parapet gutters, valleys and chimney aprons usually call for new or repaired leadwork, because a split in old lead is a common source of hidden leaks. Chimneys on the older houses, including brick stacks on stone buildings like the Market House, need repointing, new flashings or occasionally rebuilding, all part of our chimney repair service.
On the estates the calls are more often about garage and extension roofs that need flat roof repairs or replacement, and about rotten or tired timber at the eaves, which we replace with new fascias and soffits. Where a whole roof is past saving, we strip it and fit new battens, membrane and tiles, bringing the loft insulation up to current standards as we go.
What happens when you call
It starts with a visit to look at the roof, which costs nothing and carries no call-out fee. Every fault we spot is photographed for you, and a written quote comes next, which you are under no obligation to accept. During the job we keep things neat, and every scrap of waste leaves on our van at the end. Somerton homeowners can reach us on 07933 861 087, at hello@somersetroofing.co.uk, or by sending the free Somerton roof survey request.
Streets and villages we cover
We work throughout the town, from Market Place, Cow Square and New Street to Behind Berry, the Millands, Northfield, The Lynch and Kirkham Street. We also cover the outlying hamlets of Etsome, Hurcot, Lower Somerton and Littleton, and villages nearby such as Kingsdon, Long Sutton and Butleigh. Our roofers are often in Langport just down the road, too.
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