Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

Roofers in Stanford in the Vale

Roof repairs, re-slating, tile work and chimney flashings in Stanford in the Vale, from the stone cottages facing the green to the later houses out towards the River Ock.

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Stanford's roofs, from green to Ock

Stone slate roof on a limestone cottage — Stonesfield slate and thatch

The district council's conservation area appraisal, adopted in 2023, calls Stanford's roofing an eclectic but attractive mix. Many of its oldest buildings still have Stonesfield slate roofs laid in diminishing courses, with the largest stones along the eaves, and others are thatched. The walls are oolitic and fossiliferous limestone. Stone slate is heavy and hung on pegs, and the rafters beneath it were framed for that load, so a repair has to respect the timber frame as well as the covering. Our work on these roofs means lifting, refixing and replacing stones one at a time, rather than stripping slopes that are still doing their job.

Red clay tile and slate roofs on village houses — Red clay and Welsh blue slate

The same appraisal says later roofs in the village are red plain clay tile or Welsh blue slate. Bow Farm, just north of the village, was once the site of a brick and tile works, which makes clay tile feel local here. Plain clay tiles are small, laid with generous overlaps, and each hangs from a nib, with a nail in some courses. They age gracefully but do slip. Welsh slate on Victorian houses fails differently: nails corrode, slates slide, and the lead beside chimneys wears out well before the slate does. Matching colour and size matters on both coverings.

Houses facing a village green — Round the green and beyond

The village is built around a large green, a little off the main Faringdon to Wantage road, with the River Ock running through the east of the parish. Houses face the green, so their front slopes are seen from every side, and a patch that looks wrong gets noticed. Away from the old core there are postwar and modern homes, garages and extensions. These carry concrete or clay tiles, with ridges and verges as the usual failure points, plus flat-roofed additions whose felt, GRP or EPDM finish needs renewing once it has crazed or split at the edges.

From Swindon to the village green

Distance: 15 road miles east-north-east of central Swindon
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Council: Vale of White Horse District Council
Conservation area: Stanford in the Vale, appraisal and revised boundary adopted 28 September 2023
Setting: Around a large green in the Vale of White Horse, beside the River Ock

Thinking of roof work in Stanford in the Vale?

Is a Stonesfield slate roof worth repairing?

Usually, yes. The stones often outlast the pegs, battens and flashings that hold them, so renewing those and re-hanging the slate in its courses beats replacing the covering.

Can clay plain tiles be matched around the green?

Yes. We match by colour, size and camber, mixing salvaged and new clay so a patch weathers in with the roof. Concrete tiles do not blend with old clay.

Does a conservation area appraisal change what a repair needs?

Not when the repair copies the existing roof; that seldom needs an application. The appraisal shows what the council values, so a change of material is worth raising with the Vale council first.

What do Stanford's old stone slate roofs need?

Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

Roofer repointing a stone chimney stack above lead flashing

The short answer

Care and patience. Stonesfield slate is heavy, pegged to its battens and graded by size up the slope, so it is repaired stone by stone. The failures are usually in the pegs, battens and lead details rather than the slates, and a good survey from the loft will show which.

Look along the streets around the green and you can pick out the oldest roofs by their surface: thick, uneven, grey-brown stones, large near the gutter and small near the ridge. The conservation area appraisal says that many of the oldest buildings still have Stonesfield slate roofs laid in diminishing courses.

How is a Stonesfield slate roof put together?

Cotswold District Council's stone slate guidance lists two oolitic limestones for these roofs, Forest Marble and Stonesfield Slate, and Stonesfield Slate is the one that was split by frost. A wooden peg holds every stone over its batten, with the biggest stones doubled up beside the gutter, and the smallest right at the top. That pattern is why these roofs shed water so well, and why a repair has to follow it.

What usually goes wrong with one?

Pegs rot and stones slip. Moss packs into the joints between courses and keeps the timber behind it wet. Valleys and chimney flashings, usually lead, fatigue and crack. A roof can lose a few stones every winter without leaking, then leak badly the season a whole row of pegs gives way, so a loft inspection after a storm is worth the climb.

Why repair the stones instead of replacing them?

The Cotswold stone slate guidance published by Cotswold District Council says that scraping the moss off a stone roof every year could double its life, and warns against swapping limestone for sandstone. We lift the affected stones, renew the pegs, replace rotten battens, and re-hang the stones in their courses. Our Cotswold stone roofing page sets out the method step by step.

Lead needs the same patience. Where a stack meets the stone slates, the flashing has to be dressed into the courses, not stuck over them, and that is a skilled job of folding and fitting. A properly fitted lead apron keeps the roof dry for decades.

Before a single stone is moved, the slope is photographed, so the finished roof can be checked against the one you started with. Stones that are cracked beyond use are set aside, and any replacement is matched in type, so limestone is never mixed with a different rock.

How do you match red clay tile in Stanford?

The answer

By colour, size and curve. Plain clay tiles vary from batch to batch, and old ones weather unevenly. We select new or reclaimed tiles to blend with the existing roof, and keep any matching tiles lifted from hidden slopes for repairs on the visible ones.

Many of the later buildings in Stanford wear red plain clay tiles, according to the conservation area appraisal. That feels right for a village with its own history of tile making: Bow Farm, just north of the village, was the site of a brick and tile works.

Why does a close match matter so much?

New clay tiles look bright against decades of weathering, and their camber can differ. A patch that does not blend stays visible for years, especially on a front slope facing the green. We choose tiles as near as we can in size and tone, and arrange them across the slope so the join disappears.

Can tiles from a hidden slope help?

One trick is to take a few good tiles from a back slope or an outbuilding, use them on the front, and put new ones where they cannot be seen. It works because front and back weather differently. Our pitched roofing page covers how clay and concrete differ in weight and life.

What holds a plain tile in place?

Plain tiles hang from battens by their nibs, with nails in some courses. When battens rot, the tiles above them loosen, and slipping starts at the eaves or the ridge. Replacing the battens under a failing slope is often the real repair. Typical lifespans for clay tile run to 60 years or more in national guidance, and old peg-tiled roofs show that it can be much longer when well kept.

Ridges and hips deserve their own look. Since BS 5534 was revised in 2014, cap tiles have to be clipped or screwed down and not left to their mortar, so a ridge that was laid on mortar alone can be re-fixed with clips or a dry-fix system without altering how it appears from the green. It is a modest job that guards against the next gale.

Where a roof is a patchwork of old and new tiles, a photograph sent to us beforehand lets us judge which can stay and which should be changed.

MythAny plain tile will do for a repair, because nobody looks up.

FactOn a village green every slope is seen, and mismatched colour or camber stays visible for years.

Who has a say over roof work in Stanford's conservation area?

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

Roof half cleaned beside a moss-covered section of tiles

The short answer

Planning in the village belongs to Vale of White Horse District Council, and building control comes through a shared service with South Oxfordshire. A repair in the same material seldom needs an application, but a different covering, a listed house or a larger re-roof does.

Plenty of roof work here is plain upkeep and needs no consent at all: a handful of replacement tiles, a re-bedded ridge or a renewed flashing in the same material changes nothing about how the roof looks.

What does the conservation area appraisal cover?

The council adopted the Stanford in the Vale appraisal and a revised boundary on 28 September 2023, and you can read it on the council's website. It describes the mix of roofing materials and a consistent stone building vernacular. Swapping clay for concrete, or thatch for a different covering, is a decision to talk through with the council before ordering anything.

Does a listing change the answer?

On a listed house, listed building consent covers any work that touches its character, and the choice of roofing material is part of that. Not sure whether yours is on the list? The council can say, and we can help you read the answer. For new roof openings, our roof window planning guide explains the rules.

When do the Building Regulations apply?

A re-roof touching 25 per cent or more of the building envelope, or 50 per cent or more of the roof, triggers Building Regulations, and the insulation may need upgrading afterwards. According to the Planning Portal, a covering that is 15 per cent or more heavier needs approval as well. The Vale shares its building control with South Oxfordshire, and we explain what must be notified and organise it when it does.

An email with a photograph of the street side of the house is a good start, and our reply will list the points to put to the council.

Roofing services in Stanford in the Vale

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from around the green

Why are some roofs in Stanford thatched and others stone or tile?

The appraisal describes a mix of Stonesfield slate, thatch, red plain clay tile and Welsh blue slate. The oldest buildings have the oldest coverings, and later houses were roofed in tile or imported slate as materials and transport changed. Each covering ages in its own way.

Do you work on Victorian houses with Welsh slate?

Yes. Slate faults are usually corroded nails, slipped slates and worn lead. We refix or replace slates in matching size and colour, and tell you when re-slating a whole slope would last longer than patching. The written quote sets out both options.

Can you cover Stanford in the Vale from Swindon?

Yes. The village lies inside the 30 road miles we work within, and the survey includes photographs taken on your roof. Any other place you are wondering about is on the areas page.

Does the River Ock make roofs near it any damper?

Not directly, but low, shaded ground holds moisture, so moss and algae can build up on slopes under trees. Gutters clog with leaf litter, and spilling gutters soak the wall head below. We clear them during the survey and note any that need realigning.

Ask us about your roof

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