Concrete tiled estate rooftops towards green hills

Roofers in Bourton

Roof repairs, re-roofing, chimneys and lead flashings in Bourton, the estate village on the western edge of the Vale of White Horse, from the stone slate cottages of the old lanes to the Victorian estate housing and chapel.

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Bourton's roofs, limestone walls and stone slate

Limestone cottage with a stone slate roof — Limestone walls and stone slate

The council's conservation area appraisal for Bourton lists building in locally quarried limestone, with stone slate and clay tile roofs, among the village's key characteristics. Stone slate is a heavy, hand-split covering laid in courses that shrink from eaves to ridge, and it is hung on timber battens with pegs. On a roof of this type the stones outlast what holds them, so the usual faults are rotted pegs and battens, slipped stones and failing mortar at the gables. Wherever possible the stones are saved and re-laid, with new or matching stone used only to make up the gaps.

Victorian estate cottages with clay tiled roofs — An estate village of the 1800s

The appraisal describes Bourton as having the look of a mid nineteenth century estate village, built by the Tucker and Baker families, with neo-Tudor estate housing. Houses designed in that style tend to carry steep gables, prominent chimneys and decorative detail at the eaves and verges. Every one of those is a junction where water can get in: gable copings that have loosened, lead flashings at the chimney that have split, and barge boards that have rotted at the end grain. Replacement clay tiles for roofs like these are chosen to suit the old ones in size, tone and surface texture, so that a repaired patch does not announce itself against the original. A sample held against the roof settles the choice before anything is ordered.

Stone chapel with a pitched slate roof — Chapel, church and larger houses

Beyond the cottages, Bourton has the former Baptist chapel of 1851, now the village hall, St James' church, the Village Cross and larger houses such as Bourton Grange in Lower Bourton, which is Grade II listed. Buildings on that scale have bigger roofs and more complicated ones, with valleys, gutters set into the roof edge and lead work that has to be dressed carefully. Access is part of the job, because a high roof may need scaffolding before anyone can inspect it safely. A roof survey with photographs shows the condition of each slope before a written quote is prepared.

From Swindon out to the Vale

Distance: 6 road miles east-north-east of central Swindon
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Conservation area: Bourton Conservation Area, designated on 3 February 1971
Setting: Estate village south of the Great Western Railway and the old canal

Bourton roof questions

Is a matching stone slate repair allowed in Bourton's conservation area?

A repair in matching stone slate usually leaves the village looking unchanged, so it seldom needs an application. Switching to another material, or touching one of the listed buildings, is worth raising with Vale of White Horse District Council beforehand.

Can Bourton's clay tiles be matched?

Usually, yes. Hand-made and reclaimed plain tiles come in a spread of tones, and a sample held up on site shows which one sits best among the existing roof.

Does Bourton Grange count as a listed roof?

Yes. Bourton Grange in Lower Bourton is Grade II listed, so swapping its roof covering for something that changes its appearance would require the council's formal approval for a listed building. Like-for-like repairs are best agreed with the council before anyone starts.

What roofs define Bourton's conservation area?

Roofers on a slate roof along a limestone village street

Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

The short answer

The council's appraisal picks out locally quarried limestone walls with stone slate and clay tile roofs. Many buildings date from the estate village of the mid 1800s, so you also find neo-Tudor housing, the former Baptist chapel of 1851 and five Grade II listed buildings among the cottages and farms.

Bourton sits south of the Great Western Railway and the old canal, about a mile and a half from the A420, and the village feels set apart from the road. Its roofs are a large part of that. The appraisal, adopted in January 2011, treats the roofscape as one of the village's defining qualities, and we work on that basis.

How is a Bourton stone slate roof put together?

Stone slate roofs are heavy and long-lived. Cotswold District Council's technical guidance on the type, written in 2000, explains that the biggest stones sit down at the eaves while the tiny ones finish the top of the slope, every stone hung from an oak peg over a batten. The same guidance notes that such roofs weigh about 1000 kg per 10 square metres, so the timbers beneath them have to be sound. It is a traditional guide rather than a Bourton document, but the construction is the same.

What about the clay tiles on the estate houses?

Clay plain tiles are lighter and laid on a steeper pitch. They suit the gables of the estate houses, and their colour varies with the clay and the firing. When tiles crack or slip, we pick replacements that sit in the existing mix rather than a fresh orange that would look like a patch. Our pages on Cotswold stone roofing and roof repairs explain how the work is done.

For a village like this, the first visit is about reading the roof: which slopes are original, which have been repaired before and how, and where water has been getting in. The photographs from that survey are attached to the written quote, letting you see the same slipped stone or lifted flashing we are describing, and decide in your own time. The workmanship guarantee on our work runs for 10 years and is given in writing.

Is Bourton's stone slate worth saving?

The answer

Usually, yes. Stone slate is made to last, and the stones commonly outlive the pegs and battens beneath them. Lifting, sorting and re-laying the same stones is normally better for a village roof than stripping them off, and it keeps the roof looking as it always has.

A stone slate roof that has started to let in water is rarely a roof at the end of its life. Most often it is the fixings that have given up. Once that is clear, the question is how much of the roof has to come off to put it right.

What actually fails on an old stone slate roof?

Oak pegs eventually rot. Battens soften where damp has been trapped. Mortar pointing at the gables dries and drops out, and the stones slip against each other. Cotswold District Council's guidance observes that when old roofs are stripped, a fair proportion of the slates are often found to have perished, so a careful survey of the stones is part of the job.

How is a slipping slope lifted and re-laid?

A small patch of slipped stones is simply put back. A slope that is on the move needs lifting: the stones come off in order, are graded by size, the battens and underlay beneath are replaced, and the same stones go back in diminishing courses, with matching stone filling any shortfall. English Heritage policy, quoted in the same guide, is to prefer new stone slates to second-hand ones, and to keep salvaged stone for the roof it was taken off. We follow that approach and tell you where any stone comes from.

Why not swap the stone for concrete tiles?

Concrete or reconstituted tiles look different and weigh differently. The policy quoted in the guide treats such substitutes as unsuitable for historic buildings, and the stone and the village would both show the difference. If your roof is already covered in something else, we can talk through options, and our roof replacement guide sets out when a complete new covering is the right answer, and what it means for the structure beneath.

Maintenance counts for a good deal. A roof that is looked at every few years and fixed in small steps costs less over time than one left until an entire slope needs lifting. Clearing moss from the gutters and valleys each autumn, and checking the gable ends after a windy spell, are the sort of small habits that keep water out of the timbers.

Our view

Save the stone, replace the pegs and battens, and hang it again course by course.

Does roof work in Bourton need council consent?

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

Two roof windows in an unfinished loft with exposed rafters

The short answer

Matching repairs rarely do. Bourton Conservation Area has been in place since 3 February 1971, and the listed buildings are protected by a separate consent regime for anything touching their special interest. Vale of White Horse District Council decides planning questions, and Southvale Building Control deals with notifiable work.

Most roof jobs in Bourton are maintenance: refixing stone, replacing broken tiles, re-lining a valley. These do not usually need consent. The cases that call for a conversation are narrower than people expect.

What does the conservation area change for my roof?

Bourton Conservation Area was designated on 3 February 1971, and the council's own appraisal sets out what it values. Vale of White Horse District Council has only one Article 4 direction across the whole district, in Abingdon, so nothing of that kind is in force here. Swapping a stone slate roof for a different material, or fitting new roof windows to the front, is the sort of change to raise with the council before ordering anything. For roof windows, our roof window planning page explains the usual questions.

Which Bourton buildings are listed?

The appraisal counts five Grade II listed buildings in the conservation area: Bourton Grange with its gate piers and walls, the Village Cross, and The Old Manor and Highlands on Silver Street. Roofing material is part of a listed building's special interest. Altering it without the right consent is a criminal offence, so the owner needs to ask before the work, and not after. Unsure if your own house is listed? Vale of White Horse District Council can confirm, and we are happy to go through the entry with you before pricing.

Who signs off a bigger re-roof?

When re-roofing goes beyond the limits set by the Planning Portal, or the new covering is heavier, Building Regulations apply. The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire run a joint team, SouthVale Building Control, and a registered building control approver is the other route. At the quote stage we tell you whether your job is notifiable, explain the consent and sort out the paperwork.

Ask early, and the answer can shape the specification rather than hold up the job.

MythEvery roof job in a conservation area needs permission.

FactA repair in matching materials seldom does; the council steps in over a new material, or over anything done to one of the five listed buildings.

Roofing services in Bourton

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Questions from the estate village

Why do Bourton cottages have both stone slate and clay tile?

The council's appraisal lists both among the village's key characteristics. The walls are local limestone, quarried within the village itself, and the two coverings sit side by side along The Hill and Silver Street. Some roofs combine them, with an extension in a different covering from the original. We match each part to its own material.

Will you take on a listed Bourton roof?

Yes, using matching materials and methods. Matching repairs seldom need consent, but any change that affects the building's character does, so we settle the method with you beforehand and point you to the council if the plan moves. Photographs from the survey make that conversation simple.

Do you cover Shrivenham and the villages around Bourton?

Yes. Shrivenham, Bishopstone, Watchfield and the other villages close to Bourton are all within the area we cover, which reaches 30 road miles from Swindon. The areas page lists each place, and the same phone number, WhatsApp and form reach us from every page.

Are chimney flashings in Bourton usually lead?

On older stone and tile roofs, lead is the usual choice because it can be dressed into the stone and lasts a long time. A split or lifted flashing is high on our list whenever a stain appears beneath a chimney. Fresh lead let into the mortar joints is a modest job that stops the leak coming back.

Ask us about your roof

Tell us what’s happening and we’ll call you back.

Photos of what we find
A written quote
10-year workmanship guarantee

Or call 01793 626096