1980s estate houses with brown concrete tile roofs

Roofers in Ogbourne St George

Roof repairs, re-roofing, chimneys and ridge work in Ogbourne St George, from the old village street along the River Og to the homes that grew up after the railway and the army camp.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Roofs along the Og and up the village street

Brick and flint cottages on a village street — The old street and its listed houses

The western end of the village street has a run of listed buildings, and the history of the place shows in the walls. The Manor House is grade II* listed and built of brick, while Kemms, a farmhouse from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, is flint and sarsen stone. Houses of this age sit on thick masonry with old timbers above, and the roof has usually been patched many times. We look first at the verges, the chimney flashings and the wall plate, and we aim to keep the repair narrow: refix what has slipped, renew what holds it, and leave the rest of a listed roof alone.

Terraced cottages with slate roofs and chimneys — Railway and camp-era homes

The Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway opened here in 1881, and an army camp built in 1940 greatly increased the population. Houses and cottages from those periods were put up with the materials of their day, so slate, clay tile and concrete tile are all possible depending on the date. The faults are the familiar ones for roofs of that age: slate nails that have rusted through, ridge tiles bedded on mortar alone, and cracked or slipped tiles near the eaves. Close-up photographs taken on the day of the survey show which of these your own roof has, and whether a repair or a full re-cover is the better decision. Houses of this age often have a rear slope or a side extension roof that was covered at a different time from the front, so each slope is looked at separately and priced on its own condition.

A converted barn and outbuildings with pitched roofs — Farm buildings and outbuildings on the chalk

Away from the street, the village is a mix of farmhouses, barns converted to homes, garages, porches and extensions. These carry the roofs people forget until water appears: low-pitched lean-tos, flat-roofed kitchens, and garage roofs that have never had a second look. Chalk country holds damp in the ground, and a village beside a river and trees collects moss and leaf litter in gutters and valleys. Gutter outlets blocked with leaves push water behind fascias and into brick, and that is a cheaper fix when caught early than after the rot has set in.

From Swindon to the River Og

Distance: 9 road miles south-south-east of central Swindon
Council: Wiltshire Council
Conservation area: Ogbourne St George
Landscape: North Wessex Downs National Landscape
Council: Wiltshire Council

Before you book work in Ogbourne St George

Is the Manor House a guide to what is allowed on old roofs here?

Only in spirit. The Manor House is grade II* listed, and a change to the roof of any listed house can need listed building consent. A matching repair is a different matter, so ask Wiltshire Council about anything beyond that, and bring survey photographs of the roof when you do.

Can flint and sarsen gables take a new verge?

Yes, if the pointing is matched to the wall. A verge on old masonry is re-bedded with mortar that suits the stone, and the roof edge is fixed mechanically as well.

Does the River Og make my roof damper?

It can add to moss and algae where trees overhang, and to damp in the ground around old walls. The roof itself is judged on its covering, its gutters and its flashings.

What do flint and sarsen walls mean for roofs?

Roofer repointing a stone chimney stack above lead flashing

Weathered brick chimney stack with eroded joints and cracked pot

The short answer

Thick masonry walls carry a roof for generations, so the trouble is rarely the wall. It starts where the covering meets something else: a gable verge, a chimney, a wall plate. Repairs on these houses follow the wall, matching the mortar and the line of the roof as it now stands.

Thick walls of flint and sarsen, or old brick, were built to carry a roof for generations, and the roof above them has a different life from the wall. A heavy covering on solid masonry rarely fails because of the masonry. It fails at the places where the covering meets something else.

Where does water get in between wall and roof?

A verge, where the slope finishes against the top of a gable wall, is the first place to look on a flint or stone gable. The covering is pointed into the wall top, and once that pointing cracks, water tracks beneath the edge tiles and down into the masonry. The same goes for flashings, the strips of lead or other metal that seal the line between slope and masonry. Lead lasts a long time, but it tires at joints and corners, and a strip that has curled up at one end may be letting water in along its length.

On old cottages the wall plate, the timber that spreads the roof's load along the top of a wall, can sit deep in damp masonry. A slow leak over many winters shows up there first as soft timber, long before anything is visible indoors.

Which mortar suits a flint or sarsen verge?

Pointing flint and sarsen with the wrong mortar can trap damp in the wall, which is why the mortar at a verge or chimney is matched to the wall rather than chosen for being hard. Older houses also have a covering that has moved with the timbers over the years, so a repair follows the roof as it is rather than forcing it flat.

Our roof repairs page explains how a small fault is told apart from a failing roof, and the chimney repairs page covers the stacks where wall-and-roof leaks often begin.

The survey photographs show each junction close up, so you can see the cracked pointing or the lifted flashing for yourself before deciding what to do.

How should ridges be fixed near Barbury Hill?

The answer

The highest ground in the parish, over 259 metres, is on Smeathe's Ridge near Barbury Hill. Open downland ground puts ridges, hips and verges under the most pressure, so each is fixed mechanically as well as bedded, using either clips and screws or a tested dry-fix system.

The parish climbs to over 259 metres at the western end of Smeathe's Ridge, near Barbury Hill. A house in the village sits lower, below the downs, but the lesson holds for any roof on open chalk: the edges and the ridge are where a roof is pulled at, and those are the parts that need proper fixing.

How are ridge and hip tiles held down now?

Ridge tiles run along the top of a roof and hip tiles run down its sloping corners. For a long time both were laid on a bed of mortar and left. The 2014 revision of BS 5534 ended the reliance on mortar as the only thing holding ridge and hip tiles in place, and a mechanical fixing is now expected too. On an older roof, a ridge that has stood on mortar for decades is worth re-doing with clips or a tested system rather than simply repointing, because repointing leaves the original weakness exactly where it was.

What does a dry-fix system do for a verge?

A dry-fix system uses mechanical fittings instead of a bed of mortar, and BS 8612:2018 is the test specification such kits are measured against. The benefit is that there is no mortar to crack, shrink or wash out, and the roof edge is held down by a fixing rather than by the grip of cement. On a verge, it also means a neat clean line along the gable.

Our ridge, verge and dry-fix page sets out what each method involves and when mortar is still the right choice for an old building, for example on a listed roof where the original look matters.

Wherever the ridge sits, the repair starts with the roof timbers under it, because a good fixing needs something sound to hold on to.

Who decides roof work in Ogbourne St George?

Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

Roofers on a slate roof along a limestone village street

The short answer

Wiltshire Council covers planning here, and its building control team deals with notifiable roof work. The village has a conservation area and listed buildings, and it lies in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, whose partnership advises but does not grant permission.

Most roof repairs in the village need no permission at all. Swapping slipped tiles for matching ones, or bedding a ridge back down with the same materials, counts as upkeep. Three situations are worth checking before work is priced.

Does the conservation area or a listing apply?

Ogbourne St George has a conservation area, and the western end of the village street has many listed buildings, among them the grade II* Manor House. A roof covered again in the same material seldom calls for a planning application, but a change of covering or a new roof window can bring one in, and any change that touches the special interest of a listed building needs listed building consent. Check with Wiltshire Council before committing to anything beyond a matching repair. For tiled roofs in protected areas, our guide to tiled roofs in conservation areas sets out what to ask.

Does the National Landscape have a say?

The village is in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, which became the name for an AONB on 22 November 2023. The designation is legally the same. The National Landscape partnership has an advisory role; the council is the planning authority.

When do Building Regulations come in?

Building control must be told once a re-roof reaches 25 per cent or more of the building envelope, or 50 per cent or more of the roof, and the Planning Portal says the same of a new covering 15 per cent or more heavier than the one it replaces. Wiltshire Council's building control team, or a registered building control approver, takes the application. We explain the route, and the written quote notes whether your job is notifiable.

If the roof is a mix of old and new, with a rebuilt extension beside an original cottage, it is worth asking early which parts are covered by which rules, because the answer can differ between the two.

MythLiving in a National Landscape means the landscape body must approve a new roof.

FactThe council decides planning questions; the National Landscape partnership only advises.

Roofing services in Ogbourne St George

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the Og valley

Can a roof on a flint and sarsen house be repaired without disturbing the walls?

Usually, yes. Slipped tiles, failed flashings and loose ridge fittings can be put right from the roof side. Where pointing at a verge or chimney has failed, only that strip is raked out and re-done, in a mortar matched to the wall, so the surrounding masonry is left alone.

Are converted barns and farm buildings around Ogbourne St George within your area?

Yes. Converted barns, farmhouses, garages and outbuildings are common here, and each has its own roof type. We survey the roof you have, then send photographs and a written quote that puts the smallest repair which cures the fault first. If a barn roof needs more than that, the quote says where and why.

Is it worth upgrading a ridge that has stood on mortar for decades?

Often, yes. A ridge on mortar alone can loosen without warning, and the 2014 revision of BS 5534 treats a mechanical fixing as part of the job. Re-bedding with clips and screws, or fitting a tested dry-fix system, gives the ridge a hold that does not depend on cement. Where the ridge line is long, the cost is mostly in the length, so we measure it at the survey and put the figure in the written quote.

What if I live near the old railway line and have an outbuilding with a flat roof?

Flat roofs on outbuildings are repaired or replaced in EPDM, GRP or felt depending on condition and access. We check the deck, falls and edges first, because a flat roof that holds water needs more than a patch. The written quote sets out which approach suits yours.

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