Row of stone cottages with steep stone slate roofs

Roofers in Longworth

Roof repairs, leadwork, chimneys and re-roofing for Longworth, from the old houses beside St Mary's to the homes on the long fall of ground towards the Thames.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Longworth's roofs, from church to river

Old church tower beside village houses — Around St Mary's church

The church of St Mary, listed grade I, has 13th-century fabric, a 15th-century chancel, a west tower and a north aisle, and it anchors the oldest part of the village. Longworth House, just west of it, dates from the late seventeenth century and is grade II listed. Roofs on buildings of that age and standing tend to carry several generations of repair: old timbers that have moved, lead at abutments and valleys that has been mended with whatever came to hand, and chimney stacks that have taken centuries of weather on every face. The village records do not tell us what covers each roof, so we establish that on the day, from the roof itself, before suggesting any repair.

Long barn roof on a timber frame — Barns and farm buildings

Longworth's best-known farm building is its seventeenth-century tithe barn south of the village, which has a seven-bay queen-post roof and is listed grade II* and scheduled. That makes it a matter for consent rather than a roofer's judgement, but it shows what a working village was built from: big, simple roofs on heavy timber frames with long unbroken slopes. Smaller barns, stables and outbuildings in a village like this often share that form. A long slope shows a sag or a slipped run far more readily than a short one, so the survey takes in the frame, the wall plates and the way the covering bears on them, as well as the surface.

Tiled roofs on homes on a gentle slope — Homes on the slope to the Thames

Longworth is bounded by the River Thames to the north and the A420 to the south, with the land sloping down to the river except at Harrowdown Hill. Any house on that fall of ground, whatever its age, meets the same conditions: shaded slopes that hold moss and algae, gutters that fill with leaf litter, and valleys, porch roofs and flat garage roofs where water lingers. Without a sourced record of the village's building eras we do not guess at coverings. We judge each roof on what is in front of us, whether that is tiles on battens, slate, a felt or single-ply flat roof, or a fascia and soffit that have started to soften.

From Swindon to the Thames bank

Distance: 19 road miles east-north-east of central Swindon
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Conservation area: Longworth
Setting: A Thames-side village sloping down to the river
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council

Longworth roof questions

Is consent needed to re-cover a house in Longworth's conservation area?

Matching repairs rarely are. Changing the covering or the look of the roof, or any plan that involves a listed house, belongs with the district council before work begins.

Can a queen-post roof frame like the tithe barn's be mended without stripping it?

Frequently. Sound timber can be spliced or propped at the damaged end while the rest stays put, which is usually kinder to an old frame than renewing whole members.

Does the Thames-side setting change how you survey a roof?

It changes what we look for, not what we assume. Shaded slopes, gutters, valleys and flat roofs get close attention, because damp ground and trees show up there first.

What roof problems affect houses near Longworth's church?

Roofer repointing a stone chimney stack above lead flashing

Weathered brick chimney stack with eroded joints and cracked pot

The short answer

Old houses near a medieval church tend to share a few repeat faults: failed lead at valleys and abutments, chimney stacks that have loosened, ridges bedded on mortar alone, and coverings patched over many years. Listing in the village means the first job is working out what is original and what is later.

The oldest part of Longworth gathers around St Mary's, a church with 13th-century parts and a 15th-century chancel, west tower and north aisle, listed at the top grade. Longworth House stands just west of it, late seventeenth century and grade II listed. Roofs near buildings like these have usually been repaired many times, by different hands, over a very long period.

Why does lead fail at the awkward junctions?

Lead is the metal that keeps water out at the points where a pitched roof butts against a wall, a chimney or a tower. On an old building those junctions are many and irregular, and a flashing patched with sealant, or cut from the wrong thickness of sheet, is a common find. Lead is normally tucked into a cut joint in the masonry, and a loose or rotted joint lets water in behind the metal. Our lead roofing page explains the codes and how long good leadwork lasts.

What does weather do to stacks and ridges?

A chimney on a house this old is exposed on all four sides. Pointing opens up, the flaunching (the sloping mortar collar around the pots, which throws water off) cracks, and the stack leans a little further each decade. Ridges bedded on mortar alone are due a second look as well: under BS 5534:2014 the fixing of ridge and hip tiles no longer rests on mortar by itself, and a mechanical fixing is added.

How do we tell what is original on a listed house?

Before we price anything on a listed house, we work out which parts of the roof are original, which are later, and which can be repaired like for like. The village records do not say what covers each roof, so we look: at the covering, the battens, and the underside from the loft. After the survey you receive the quote in writing, illustrated with photographs taken on your own roof.

What does Longworth's tithe barn teach about old roofs?

The answer

A seven-bay queen-post roof shows how old frames work: the weight of the covering passes through rafters, purlins and posts to the walls. Faults usually begin with water, so keeping the covering and gutters sound protects the timber. Repair means supporting and splicing good wood, not replacing it wholesale.

The 17th-century tithe barn south of the village has a seven-bay queen-post roof, and it is grade II* listed and a scheduled monument. We mention it as the village's best example of how a large traditional roof is put together, not as a job. Anything done to a scheduled monument requires scheduled monument consent from the Secretary of State, so the owner and specialist advisers lead on it.

How does a queen-post frame carry the load?

In a queen-post roof, a pair of vertical posts stand on a tie beam and carry the purlins, which are the long horizontal timbers that hold up the rafters. Each bay is a truss, so a seven-bay barn has seven of them in a row. The weight of the covering travels down the rafters into the purlins, through the posts and tie beams, and out to the walls. If one member is overstressed, its neighbours pick up the strain.

Where do old timber frames fail?

Rot at the ends of timbers that sit in damp walls, beetle damage in softened wood, and joints that have opened under movement are the usual problems. Almost all start with water getting in, which is why the covering, gutters and downpipes come first. A sound frame can often be repaired by splicing new timber into the damaged end instead of renewing the whole member, and that keeps as much of the old structure as possible.

What does this mean for a Longworth outbuilding?

Many barns, stables and garages around a village like Longworth have simpler roofs of the same kind: rafters, purlins and a long slope that shows trouble early. A sag along the ridge, a dip between purlins or a line of slipped tiles are the signs we check from the ground and confirm from the loft. Our roof inspections and surveys page describes what the photographs show, and the same approach works for a field shelter or a workshop as it does for a house.

Which council covers roof consent in Longworth?

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

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

The short answer

Longworth is covered by Vale of White Horse District Council, which handles planning, while building control is shared through the Southvale service with South Oxfordshire. The village has a conservation area and listed buildings, so before you change the way a roof looks, ring the council's planning team.

Most roof work in Longworth needs no permission at all. Refixing a slipped covering, putting a worn flashing right or laying the ridge again in like materials counts as maintenance. Three situations are different.

Which re-roofs call for Building Regulations approval?

The Planning Portal's test for needing a building control application is whether less than 25 per cent of the total building envelope, and less than 50 per cent of the roof, is being touched. Go beyond either limit, or choose a covering at least 15 per cent heavier than the old one, and Building Regulations approval is required, with a possible thermal upgrade under Part L. Vale of White Horse shares its building control service, Southvale, with South Oxfordshire, while a registered building control approver offers the private alternative. If the job is notifiable, we say which route suits it and handle the paperwork.

What changes inside Longworth's conservation area?

Longworth has a conservation area. A repair that matches what was there seldom needs planning permission, since it does not materially affect the building's appearance. A new type of covering, an altered roofline or a rebuilt chimney is a different matter, so ask the council's planning team before you commit. Our roof repairs page covers the matching repairs that normally need no application.

How does the church's status differ from a listed house's?

Before you alter what gives a listed property its character, listed building consent has to be in place, and swapping the roofing material is one such alteration. St Mary's is an Anglican church, and Church of England churches in regular use sit under the ecclesiastical exemption through the faculty system, a route that does not involve the council. For a listed house, barn or outbuilding, assume anything beyond like-for-like repair needs consent until the council confirms otherwise.

MythA listed church means every old roof in the village needs consent.

FactListing attaches to named buildings; an unlisted house in the conservation area is judged on how far the work changes its appearance.

Roofing services in Longworth

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the road down to the Thames

Does St Mary's listing affect roof work on the houses next to it?

Not by itself. Each building is listed in its own right, so a neighbouring house is controlled only if it is listed too, or if the work would change its appearance inside the conservation area. Your house's status is confirmed with you before any price is given, and we point you to the council whenever there is doubt, so the survey and the quote rest on the right footing.

Can you look after the roof of a barn or outbuilding at the edge of Longworth?

Yes. Outbuildings often have long, simple slopes on timber frames, and the survey covers the covering, the purlins and the wall plates. The smallest repair that cures the problem is what we advise, which might be a run of refixed tiles or sheets rather than a new roof, and you will see that stated in the quote.

Do you work in Longworth and the villages around it?

Yes. Longworth sits inside the area we cover, which reaches out 30 road miles from the town. The areas page names each place, and the phone line, WhatsApp and the enquiry form on each page lead to the same people.

Why do gutters near the river fill up so quickly?

Trees, shade and damp ground all add leaf litter and moss, and that blocks outlets and sends water down the wall. A blocked gutter soaks the fascia and the brickwork below it, so clearing it and checking the falls early is cheaper than replacing rotten timber later.

Ask us about your roof

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A written quote
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