Concrete tiled estate rooftops towards green hills

Roofers in Shilton, Oxfordshire

Roof repairs, careful re-covering, lead and chimney work in Shilton, from the houses near Holy Rood church and the old dovecote to the cottages and newer homes along Shill Brook.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Shilton's roofs, from dovecote to Shill Brook

Old manor house and round dovecote roof — Church, manor and dovecote

The Church of England church of Holy Rood stands at Grade II*, with a Norman nave from about 1150, a chancel of about 1250 and a fifteenth-century bell tower. Shilton House, built in 1678, and a round dovecote with a conical roof from the early sixteenth century are listed at the same grade. Beaulieu Abbey held the manor from 1203 to the Dissolution in 1538, so this part of the village has been built, altered and mended for centuries. Houses near these landmarks can expect the council to take an interest in any change of covering, and a steep, unusual roof such as a cone needs a roofer who has handled that geometry before.

Stone cottages with gabled roofs in a village — Cotswold stone cottages

Traditional houses and cottages in Shilton are built of local Cotswold stone, according to the published account of the village. Where such a cottage keeps a stone slate roof, the stones were laid in courses that shrink as they rise, biggest along the gutter line and smallest beneath the ridge, with a timber peg holding each one to the batten behind. Heavy as they are, stone roofs often rest on timbers that have moved and softened. The ridge and the gable edges meet the wind first, so they are where our check begins. Where repair is needed, we use stone that suits the building, and say where it has come from.

Concrete-tiled bungalows beside a lane — Newer homes and extensions

Shilton also has twentieth-century homes, bungalows and extensions built close to the old village, with Carterton only a mile and a half away. These carry concrete or clay tiles, felt or breathable underlay, plus garages, porches and rear extensions with flat roofs. The faults on these follow a pattern: ridge bedding that has crumbled, verge mortar that has cracked, tiles that have slipped or split, and flat roof membranes nearing the end of their life. Because newer roofs are plainer, the right repair is often small and quick, and the survey photographs show which of those faults your roof actually has.

From Swindon to Shill Brook

Distance: 19 road miles north-north-east of central Swindon
Council: West Oxfordshire District Council
Conservation area: Shilton, designated in 1985
Setting: Village on Shill Brook, about 1.5 miles north-west of Carterton
Listed landmarks: Holy Rood church, Shilton House and the old dovecote, all Grade II*

Shilton roof questions

Can you repair a conical dovecote roof in Shilton?

Yes, in principle. A cone has no valleys or hips, but every course must be cut to a curve, so we look at the survey photographs before saying more, and we say frankly if a specialist would suit it better.

Which council deals with roofs in Shilton, Oxfordshire?

Planning questions go to West Oxfordshire District Council, even though most of the parish was part of Berkshire until 1844.

Does the 1985 conservation area change a repair?

Seldom, so long as the repair matches the existing covering. A new material, or any work on a listed house, should be cleared with West Oxfordshire's planners before anything is ordered.

What goes wrong on Shilton's stone roofs?

Brick end-of-terrace gable beside a limestone house, slate roofs

Reclaimed Cotswold stone slates sorted by length beside a limestone wall

The short answer

The parts that hold the stone up, far more often than the stone. Rotting pegs, softening battens and failed felt or lime beneath let sound stones slip. Verges, ridges and the junctions at chimneys take the weather first, and are where leaks usually begin on a roof of this kind.

Shilton's older houses draw on local Cotswold stone, and where the roof matches the walls, the result is heavy, durable and demanding to look after. Most problems come from age acting on the fixings, not from the stone itself.

Why do pegs, battens and bedding give way?

Traditional stone slates are held to a batten by a wooden peg, often oak, threaded through a small hole near the head of each stone. As the decades pass the pegs decay and the battens lose their grip, and stones start to drop. Gaps between courses were once dressed with moss or lime, and when that goes, wind-driven rain gets in and the felt or boarding beneath takes the damage. Fixing one stone at a time rarely holds if the surrounding fixings are equally tired, so we test a wider area before quoting.

Why do verges, ridges and chimneys leak first?

The gable ends and ridge take the worst of the weather. Ridges on old Cotswold roofs were traditionally dressed stone, bedded in mortar rather than clipped, and that bedding eventually perishes. Our roof repairs page describes how a failed ridge or verge is made good. Chimney flashings are the other usual failure, where lead has cracked or mortar fillets have fallen away. A chimney in an old Cotswold house is also heavy, so we check that the stack is not leaning before any new lead is dressed against it.

How is the character of a stone roof kept?

Matching stone is chosen by size, thickness and tone, and new stone is cut to continue the diminishing run rather than sitting out of step with it. Our Cotswold stone roofing page explains how courses diminish and why substitutes are rarely a good idea on historic roofs. Concrete products made to imitate stone slates are heavier and look different, and conservation guidance treats them as unsuitable for historic buildings. Reclaimed stone is best kept for use on the building it came from.

Photographs from the survey show which of these faults your roof actually has, and which can safely wait for another year. Written notes on the loft side of the roof, such as sooty staining, soft battens or pegs lying in the insulation, often explain what the outside view cannot. A roof of this weight rewards getting the diagnosis right before any stone is touched, because every stone lifted is a stone that must go back exactly as it was.

Can a Grade II* house still have its roof renewed?

The answer

Yes. A listed house can be repaired and re-covered, but the work must keep the character of the building, and changes of material or method need listed building consent from the council. The sensible path is the same stone or tile, fixed the same way, agreed in advance.

Shilton has several buildings at Grade II*, including the church, Shilton House and the dovecote. A grade does not freeze a roof in time, but it does set rules about how it can change.

Where does repair end and alteration begin?

Replacing broken or slipped stones with matching ones is repair. Swapping the covering for another material, adding rooflights, changing the roof line or rebuilding a chimney to a new design is alteration, and on a listed building that needs listed building consent. The owner carries the responsibility if work goes ahead without it, and an offence can follow, which is why we raise the question before any order is placed.

What does the council consider?

West Oxfordshire District Council, as planning authority, looks at how a proposal affects the special character of the building. Evidence helps: photographs, a description of the existing covering, and a clear account of what will change, why, and which materials will replace what comes off. Pictures taken on our survey can go straight into that file.

What care does an old roof need on site?

Old roofs carry hand-cut timbers, plaster and sometimes birds or bats in the roof space, so a loft visit before work is part of the planning. Bats and nesting birds have legal protection, and that shapes the timing of our work. Stone is stored, sorted and kept for reuse on the same building where possible, in line with accepted conservation practice for historic roofs.

For the paperwork, we explain what is needed and, where work is notifiable under the Building Regulations, we arrange the notification with your building control body.

Our view

Agree the material and method with the council first, then order the stone.

How does Shilton's Berkshire past affect anything today?

Industrial units with grey metal roofs beyond a roof under repair

Roofers on a slate roof along a limestone village street

The short answer

It does not change how roofs are regulated. Most of the parish was a Berkshire exclave until 1844, but Shilton is now in Oxfordshire, answering to West Oxfordshire District Council on planning. What the past does leave is a village whose buildings span many centuries.

It surprises many people that Shilton once belonged to Berkshire. Most of the parish was an exclave, a detached piece cut off from the rest of the county, until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 moved it to Oxfordshire. That history matters for archives and old deeds, and a good deal for the village's character, but not for who looks after your roof today.

Which rules apply now?

West Oxfordshire District Council handles planning, and the village conservation area was designated in 1985. A roof repair in matching materials seldom needs a planning application, since nothing visible about the building changes. Adding a roof window or switching the covering is a different question, and our roof window planning guide explains what to ask.

Can old records help with an old roof?

Old documents sometimes describe a house, an outbuilding or a barn that has since been altered. A deed or sale particular that mentions a stone-slated roof points to what the building once wore, and an old photograph can say more still. We can use such records, together with what the survey finds, to choose a covering that fits. If a house has been extended, we look at how the old and new roofs meet, because that joint is where age and alteration collide and where water is most likely to enter.

Would a Shilton re-roof come under Building Regulations?

Where a re-roof reaches beyond the limits that apply, Building Regulations enter the picture, with a thermal upgrade possible. We explain what applies to your house, and for notifiable work we arrange the notification with your building control body, so the paperwork is not left on your table.

MythBecause Shilton was once in Berkshire, different roofing rules apply.

FactShilton is in Oxfordshire and under West Oxfordshire District Council; the old county line changes nothing about roof work.

Roofing services in Shilton

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from Shill Brook

Is the church roof something you would repair?

Holy Rood belongs to the Church of England, so any repair to it follows the church's own approval route, which runs through the parish rather than through us. We work on the houses and outbuildings of the village, and we are happy to talk through anything near a listed building.

Is Shilton inside the area you cover?

Yes. Shilton sits comfortably inside the 30 road miles we cover from Swindon, and so do Carterton, Burford and Faringdon nearby. Our areas page names each place we work, in case your address sits at the edge.

Can an old stone roof be repaired without stripping all of it?

Often, yes. If the damage is confined to one slope or a corner, we refix or replace the affected stones and renew the pegs or battens underneath. The survey photographs show how far the problem extends before we advise either way.

Do flat roofs on Shilton extensions need different care?

They do. Flat coverings such as felt, EPDM rubber (a synthetic membrane) or GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) last a shorter time than stone or tile, and they fail at upstands and outlets more often than across open areas. Check them every year or two for ponding water, blistered felt and blocked outlets, and clear leaves before winter. Our flat roofing page explains how each covering is laid.

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