Row of stone cottages with steep stone slate roofs

Roofers in Longcot

Pitched roof repairs, new coverings, chimney work and flat roofing in Longcot, from the cottages near St Mary the Virgin to the bungalows and family homes of the later twentieth century.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Longcot's roofs, from church tower to canal wharf

Village houses beside a parish church — Around St Mary the Virgin

The Church of England parish church has a thirteenth-century nave and chancel, and its tower was rebuilt in 1721 or 1722. Houses and cottages near a church of that age tend to be among the oldest in a village, and their roofs show it. Chimneys have been rebuilt, extensions added, and coverings renewed in different materials over the years. The faults we look for are the ones that come with age: sagging rafters, soft battens, split flashings and ridge lines that have shifted. Checking whether any house is listed comes before anything is priced, because it decides how much room there is to change the covering.

Brick cottages with pitched roofs and chimneys — Canal-age cottages

The Wilts & Berks Canal arrived in 1805 and Longcot Wharf, the wharf nearest to Faringdon, followed. Population grew through the early nineteenth century, and the cottages and small houses from that growth are now around two hundred years old. A roof that age has almost certainly been re-covered at least once, so the covering may be much younger than the walls beneath it. That matters when you ask for a repair: the question is not how old the house is, but how old the battens, nails and underlay are, and the survey photographs answer it.

Bungalows and houses with tiled roofs on a close — Later twentieth-century homes

Longcot's current school building dates from 1969, and the village also has houses and bungalows from that period and after. Roofs of that era are usually tiles laid over felt and battens, often with hipped ends, a porch, a garage and a flat-roofed extension or two. Common jobs are loosened ridge tiles, cracked verges, perished felt under the tiles, worn valley linings and flat roofs that have started to hold water. Bungalow roofs are quick to survey because the whole slope is visible from a ladder, and a repair can often be finished in a day.

From Swindon to the bend in the Ock

Distance: 9 road miles east-north-east of central Swindon
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Setting: Low-lying vale village in a bend of the River Ock, below the Lambourn downs
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Canal: Longcot Wharf on the Wilts & Berks Canal, opened after 1805

Longcot roof questions

Does the River Ock make roofs in Longcot worse?

Not directly. Low ground and overhanging trees mean more moss, leaves in the gutters and damp air, so the checks that matter are gutters, ventilation and any shaded slope.

Can a canal-era cottage keep its present tiles?

Often. Sound tiles are lifted, the battens and underlay renewed beneath them, and the same tiles laid back. Close-up photographs from the survey show whether yours can be saved or whether the tiles themselves have given up.

Why does a Berkshire village answer to Oxfordshire?

Longcot was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes moved it to Oxfordshire. The Vale of White Horse District Council now deals with planning and building control.

Does the low River Ock bend affect Longcot roofs?

Blocked gutter full of leaves overflowing down a brick wall

Rainwater running off slates into a black gutter and downpipe

The short answer

It affects what grows on them and how they breathe, not how strong they are. Longcot sits low in a bend of the nascent River Ock, so damp air, moss and leaf litter are the usual issues. Gutters, eaves ventilation and shaded slopes are where we look first.

Longcot lies in a wide bend of the young River Ock, in low vale country with the Lambourn downs rising to the south. Water is part of the landscape, and a roof in a low village has to cope with damp air as well as rain.

Why do moss and leaves matter on low ground?

Moss grows on slopes that stay damp, which means north-facing roofs and those under trees. A thin layer does little harm, but a thick mat keeps the surface wet and can lift tile edges as it swells. Leaves in a valley or gutter slow the flow of rain, and water backs up under the tiles. A clear gutter is the least costly protection a roof has, and our gutters, soffits and fascias page explains what a proper clear-out and repair involves.

Does the roof space have enough ventilation?

A damp setting makes a damp loft more likely, and a loft that cannot breathe lets condensation form on the underside of the roof. BS 5250 sets out how much ventilation a cold roof needs, and manufacturers such as Marley summarise it: a continuous gap at the eaves, plus a high-level gap on steeper or longer roofs. Loft insulation stuffed hard into the eaves can close that gap, which is a familiar cause of condensation that looks like a leak.

Is every damp stain a roof fault?

Not every stain is a roof fault. Condensation, rising damp and a blocked gutter can all leave a mark on a ceiling or wall. We trace the source with photographs before suggesting any roof work, and if the roof turns out to be sound, the quote tells you that and nothing more.

A village on low ground also tends to have trees close to its houses. Branches that touch a roof scrape the surface in wind and drop debris, so cutting them back is sometimes the best job of the lot.

How old is a canal-era cottage's roof?

The answer

Usually much younger than the walls. A cottage built after the canal arrived in 1805 is about two centuries old, and in that time its roof will very likely have been stripped and laid again. The covering, battens and underlay each have their own age, which a survey separates.

The Wilts & Berks Canal reached Longcot in 1805, and Longcot Wharf, the wharf nearest to Faringdon, helped the village grow in the early nineteenth century. The canal was formally abandoned by Act of Parliament in 1914, but the cottages it helped to fill remain.

Why are the walls older than the roof?

Brick or stone walls can last for centuries. A roof covering does not, and everything under it ages at its own pace. Battens may be renewed once every century or so, nails rust through much sooner, and underlay, where there is any, may be a mid-twentieth-century addition. A roof that looks uniform from the road can contain parts from three different periods.

What does the loft show about the roof?

The underside tells the truth. Daylight between tiles, dark staining on rafters and battens, rusted nail tips and sagging between purlins all say more than the view from the garden. We photograph them from inside and out, and the quote refers to those photographs.

Repair, re-batten or re-roof: which one?

Where the tiles hold up and the battens are tired, the answer is to lift, re-batten and re-lay. Where the tiles are crumbling or cracked right across the slope, only a new covering will do the job. Our roof replacement page sets out how we weigh one against the other. A chimney that has been altered over the years also needs a look, and our chimney repairs page shows what is involved.

Do not assume an old cottage needs a new roof, and do not assume it can go on as it is. The survey decides.

MythAn old cottage has an old roof, so the whole thing must come off.

FactThe covering is usually younger than the walls, and a sound one can often be lifted, re-battened and laid back.

What approval do roofs near St Mary's need?

Terraced house roof stripped to rafters inside scaffolding

Roofer refixing a slipped slate on a terraced house roof

The short answer

For a house, usually none for a matching repair. Listed houses need listed building consent where the work alters their listed character, and bigger re-roofing jobs fall under Building Regulations. St Mary the Virgin, as a Church of England church, is handled through the faculty system instead.

Most roof work in the village is upkeep and needs no application. Putting back slipped tiles, refixing a ridge or renewing a flashing in matching material counts as repair. Larger jobs and special buildings are where rules begin to matter, and it is better to know which applies before the scaffold goes up.

Is the house listed or protected?

Whether your own house appears on the list, or falls in a protected area, is a question for the Vale of White Horse District Council, and the answer should be in hand before the work is priced. If a house is listed, listed building consent covers any change to the roof that alters its special interest. Laying the same covering back rarely calls for planning permission; switching to another one might. Where the council has a view, it is best heard early.

Who looks after the church roof?

St Mary the Virgin belongs to the Church of England. While it is used for worship it sits within the ecclesiastical exemption, so changes go through the faculty system. The parish and the diocese deal with that, and none of it applies to a house nearby.

At what size is a re-roof notifiable?

A re-roof needs a building control application if it affects 25 per cent or more of the building envelope or 50 per cent or more of the roof area, and so does a covering that adds 15 per cent or more to its weight. The Vale of White Horse uses the shared Southvale building control service, and a registered building control approver is the other route. Our roof inspections and surveys page describes how a survey records the roof before any application is considered.

None of this is legal advice. It is a list of the questions worth putting to the council, and we help you word them.

Roofing services in Longcot

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the Ock-side lanes

Why does the ceiling in a Longcot bungalow stain when there is no leak in the roof?

Often it is condensation. A loft with blocked eaves cannot vent, and warm moist air turns to water on the chilled underside of the covering, dripping onto the insulation and showing through the ceiling. The stain can look just like a leak. We check the ventilation and insulation, and the tiles from outside, before recommending any repair, because a new covering will not cure a ventilation fault.

Do you cover the villages around Longcot on the Faringdon side of the vale?

Yes. Faringdon and the villages round it are inside our area of 30 road miles from Swindon, along with the vale villages below the Lambourn downs. The phone, WhatsApp and the enquiry form all reach us, and we visit, photograph the roof and write the quote.

Can the flat roof on a Longcot garage be repaired rather than replaced?

Sometimes. A localised repair works when the boards beneath are firm and the covering has failed in one place only. Ponding after rain, or felt blistered across the whole surface, points to a new covering instead. The written quote names which of the two applies to your garage, and why.

Is it worth fixing a small slipped-tile problem before winter?

Yes. A single slipped tile lets water onto the felt, and felt over a gap does not last. Fixing one tile is a short job; fixing the rotten batten and wet insulation below it is a bigger one.

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