Row of stone cottages with steep stone slate roofs

Roofers in Bledington

Stone roof repairs, relaying, lead work and chimneys in Bledington, the Evenlode valley village built around its broad green, its stream and its church.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Bledington's roofs, from green to Evenlode

Cottages facing a village green — Houses around the green

Bledington is arranged around a large unenclosed green with a stream running across it, and the sixteenth-century King's Head overlooks it. Houses face the open space from several sides, so their roofs are seen from every angle, front and back, which raises the standard expected of a repair. One mismatched slope is visible from the pub door. The valley setting matters too. With a stream across the green and the Evenlode close by, shaded stone stays damp longer, and moss and algae take hold on north slopes and under overhanging trees. A light touch is best: scraping hard at old stone can lift its surface, so we favour gentle removal and, where possible, more light and air around the roof. Gutters and downpipes near the water also clog with leaves, which sends water down the wall face.

A stone church roof with lead gutters — Church, manor and farm roofs

The records describe the church of St Leonard as built of stone with lead and Cotswold stone roofs, Manor Farm as coursed, squared and dressed limestone under a limestone slate roof, and Home Farm as rubble with a Cotswold stone roof. Those descriptions name individual buildings, not the whole village, but they show what a Bledington roof can be: stone slates on the pitches and lead where the pitched work meets gutters, parapets and valleys. Lead and stone share a roof comfortably, though each has its own needs, and the junctions between them need the closest inspection.

A long stone barn beside a farmhouse — Farm ranges and newer additions

The parish was enclosed in 1770, when six open fields were brought into private hands, and farmsteads grew up beyond the green. Their barns and stables are long buildings with deep eaves, lean-to additions and gable walls that take the weather, and many have been adapted for living or work. Modern extensions are a different matter again. A flat-roofed utility room, a conservatory or a porch built onto a stone cottage needs its own treatment, and the line where the new roof touches the old wall is where water most often finds its way in.

From Swindon to the Evenlode

Distance: 28 road miles north-north-east of central Swindon
Council: Cotswold District Council
Council: Cotswold District Council
Conservation area: Bledington Conservation Area
Landscape: Cotswolds National Landscape, on the Evenlode

Bledington roof questions

Can you relay a stone roof beside Bledington green?

Yes. Stones are lifted, sorted by size, and laid back in their courses on new battens, with matching stone making up any that have broken.

Is Bledington's conservation area likely to affect my repair?

Repairs that copy the roof are normally just upkeep. If you plan another covering, or a changed stack, speak to Cotswold District Council while the plan is still on paper.

Why does moss grow so thickly near the Evenlode?

Damp valley air and shade from trees keep stone wet for longer, which suits moss. Gentle removal and better light usually help more than harsh washing.

What makes a Bledington stone roof different from tile?

Reclaimed Cotswold stone slates sorted by length beside a limestone wall

Lead-lined valley gutter between two slate roof slopes

The short answer

Weight, pattern and age. Cotswold stone slates are heavy, laid in rows that get shorter as they climb, and hung on oak pegs. They suit the roof timbers beneath, which were built for them. That is why swapping to another covering is a bigger decision than it looks, and why repair is usually the first idea.

Bledington lies in the Evenlode valley about four miles south-east of Stow-on-the-Wold, and the river marks the eastern boundary of the parish and the county line. Its older roofs belong to the Cotswold tradition: stone slates split from oolitic limestone, laid in graded rows, large stones at the foot of the slope and the tiniest near the top.

How does a stone roof actually hold together?

Cotswold District Council's technical guidance of 2000 describes slates hung over the batten by one, sometimes two, oak pegs pushed through a small hole cut at the top of each stone. Nothing is glued or nailed flat. The roof depends on gravity, overlap and the pitch, which traditionally ran at 47 to 55 degrees. Once a peg decays or a batten goes soft, a stone drops out of line, and the gap lets water run straight on to the timbers beneath.

Why not swap to a lighter covering?

A stone roof is a heavy thing, about 1000 kg per 10 square metres in the guidance's words, and the timbers beneath were sized for it. Changing the covering alters more than the look: it changes the weight, the pitch the roof needs, and how the edges and valleys are formed. Our Cotswold stone roofing page sets out the details of the work.

The guidance also notes that, in the south of the district, people speak of stone tiles and in the north of stone slates. In Bledington you will hear both. Whatever the name, the stone behaves the same way, and a wise owner learns to read the roof from the lane, looking for dark patches, dropped stones and lines that no longer run straight. The stone itself spends decade after decade in sun and frost, and the repair is almost always to the fixings, not the stone.

How does lead sit with stone on a church-style roof?

The answer

They work as a pair. Stone covers the slopes, and lead lines the gutters, valleys and abutments where water collects and the roof meets a wall. Lead is soft and can be dressed to any shape, so it follows the stonework, and a roof that combines the two lasts as long as its weakest joint.

St Leonard's church in the village is recorded as having both lead and Cotswold stone roofs, which is a combination you can find on many older buildings in the area. Cottages and farmhouses follow the same pairing in miniature.

Where is lead used on a stone roof?

Chiefly at the places stone cannot waterproof by itself. Hidden gutters between a roof and a parapet, the lining of a valley, the flashing around a chimney and the cover over an abutting wall are all lead jobs. The metal is rolled into sheet in standard thicknesses, and the thicker codes suit larger or more exposed positions. Our lead roofing page explains how the thickness is chosen.

What about swept valleys?

The traditional valley on a stone roof is not a lead channel at all. Specially cut slates are curved to form a gentle sweep where two slopes meet, which looks better and sheds water well. Because each cut stone is different, a swept valley cannot be repaired from a catalogue; matching stones are chosen one at a time. The council guidance regards close-mitred or open lead valleys as cheaper to build but not as satisfactory, and best avoided. We look at swept valleys whenever a house has one, because they take real skill to mend and are easy to damage with a clumsy patch.

The important point for owners is that a stone-and-lead roof is maintained as a whole, and that a sensible surveyor reads the stone, the lead and the timbers together before recommending anything. A new piece of lead against ageing stone, or fresh stone against worn flashing, can move the problem along the roof rather than solve it.

MythLead flashing is permanent, so it never needs a second look.

FactLead can outlast generations, yet it splits at folds and lifts at edges, so it is inspected along with the stone.

What rules apply to roofs in Bledington's conservation area?

Gloved hands fitting a weathered Cotswold stone slate

Long flat roof on a 1960s brick building being re-covered

The short answer

Bledington has a conservation area, and some buildings are listed, so Cotswold District Council has a say over visible changes. Repairs that copy the existing roof are ordinary maintenance. A different covering, a changed chimney or work on a listed building should be discussed with the council first.

The council's conservation area maps list Bledington, and the village includes buildings of recognised importance such as the Steward's House and Manor Farm, both noted in the national heritage list. Neither fact prevents roof work, though each influences the way it is carried out.

Do I need permission to repair a stone roof?

Not for a repair that replaces like with like. Cotswold District Council's local plan policy, as quoted in its stone slate guidance, states that removing natural roofing material from a listed building's roof slopes and replacing it with a modern alternative will not be allowed where the loss would badly damage the interest of the building. Our stone roofs in conservation areas page looks at where the lines fall. In practice, the safest route is to describe what you intend in an email to the council's planning team, with a photograph, and keep its reply with your papers. A reply in writing is worth having if the work is questioned later or if you sell the house.

Does the National Landscape change anything?

The Cotswolds are a National Landscape, the name used for AONBs since 22 November 2023, and planning decisions belong to the council, with the landscape body in an advisory role. Land in this category has fewer permitted development rights, so visible additions such as dormers deserve an early conversation. Building Regulations still apply as everywhere: a bigger re-cover, a markedly heavier covering or structural alteration can call for an application to the council's building control team or a registered building control approver.

The council's conservation area map is a useful place to start, and the page is here: Cotswold District Council conservation area maps. Bring a copy to the survey if you like, and we will mark where your house falls.

Roofing services in Bledington

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Questions from beside the green and the stream

How do you protect a stone roof from damage during repair work?

By working carefully from boards and ladders that spread the load, lifting stones by hand and stacking them by size as they come off. Stone slates crack under a boot, so access is planned before anyone steps on the slope. Each stone is checked and either re-used or matched. Broken stones are kept aside as a sample for the replacement stone to be chosen against, so the new ones sit in the courses naturally.

Is the roof of a barn near Bledington treated differently from a house?

The covering is treated the same way, but long barn roofs have more length of eaves, gable and abutment to keep sealed. Lean-tos and old openings are the usual leak points. Where a barn is now a home, insulation and ceilings make a small leak harder to spot and more costly to ignore.

Can old oak pegs and battens be re-used?

Sometimes the battens can be if they are sound, though most are replaced when a slope is relaid. Pegs rot where they meet the stone, so fresh ones are usual. The council's guidance describes oak pegs hung over the batten, and that is the method we follow when a roof is relaid.

Do you look after slate and tile roofs in Bledington as well as stone?

Yes. We take on tiled, slated and stone roofs, lead work and flat roofs on houses and farm buildings around the village, and the covering on your roof decides the method, not the other way round. Each survey ends in a written quote, with pictures of the roof in question attached, so that you can judge the findings for yourself.

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