NEAL ROOFING / PROJECT ARCHIVE

St John’s House
Easingwold

Complete roof restoration to a substantial Victorian former vicarage using new Cwt-y-Bugail Welsh slate, extensive traditional leadwork, lime-mortar chimney repairs, thermal upgrades and bespoke rainwater detailing.

EASINGWOLD · NORTH YORKSHIRE · VICTORIAN · WELSH SLATE · LEADWORK

Explore the Project

01 — THE PROJECT

Restoring the roof of an 1883 Victorian vicarage

St John’s House is a substantial former vicarage in the historic market town of Easingwold, North Yorkshire. Constructed during 1883, its complex roofscape retained much of its original Welsh slate, leadwork, chimney masonry and associated historic detailing.

Neal Roofing, formerly Geoff Neal Roofing, was appointed to undertake a comprehensive replacement and refurbishment of the roof coverings after inspection confirmed widespread deterioration across the slate, leadwork, chimneys and rainwater systems.

HERITAGE ROOFING →
NATURAL SLATE ROOFING →
SPECIALIST LEADWORK →

PROJECT

Roof Restoration

PROGRAMME

13 Weeks

BUILDING

Victorian Vicarage

PRIMARY MATERIAL

Welsh Slate

02 — EXISTING CONDITION

A roof at the end of its serviceable life

The original Welsh slate roof had been repaired repeatedly over many years. By the time Neal Roofing was instructed, isolated patching was no longer a credible long-term strategy.

The slate coverings showed widespread deterioration and the associated leadwork to valleys, gutters and roof interfaces was also in poor condition.

Five substantial chimney stacks showed evidence of historic patch repairs, open mortar joints and areas of deteriorated brickwork. Together, these defects indicated that the roof required comprehensive refurbishment rather than further reactive intervention.

03 — INVESTIGATION

Using aerial inspection to understand the whole roof

The height and complexity of St John’s House restricted what could be reliably assessed from ground level.

Drone imagery was therefore used to examine roof slopes, chimney stacks, valleys, leadwork and concealed areas before the final scope was prepared.

This provided a much clearer picture of the extent of deterioration and allowed a detailed specification to be developed before scaffolding and construction commenced.

Drone Roof Inspection →
Independent Building Surveys by Strut →

Welsh Slate

A new natural slate roof appropriate to the age and character of the property.

Leadwork

Valleys, gutters, hips, ridges and bespoke rainwater details formed in lead.

Conservation

Roofing, masonry, insulation and rainwater management considered together.

04 — SCOPE OF WORKS

More than replacing the slate.

The roof functioned as a complex system of slate slopes, internal drainage, lead gutters, chimney stacks, rooflights and structural timber. Successful refurbishment therefore required every component to be considered together.

Roof + Structure

  • Complete removal of existing roof coverings
  • New Cwt-y-Bugail Welsh slate
  • Structural timber repairs
  • New treated timber battens
  • Roof membrane and counter-batten work
  • New roof windows
  • Central lantern reconstruction

Lead + External Fabric

  • Code 5 lead valleys
  • Lead hips and ridges
  • Central lead roof and gutter
  • Bespoke Code 6 hopper heads
  • Chimney reconstruction
  • Lime mortar pointing
  • Rainwater goods replacement

05 — WELSH SLATE

New Welsh slate for another generation of service

Inspection established that the salvage rate of the existing roof coverings would be too low to justify widespread reuse.

New 500 × 250mm Celtic-grade Cwt-y-Bugail Welsh slate was therefore selected for the principal roof slopes.

The material suited both the proportions and nineteenth-century character of the house while providing the durability expected from a premium natural slate roof.

Natural Slate Roofing →
BS 5534 Slating + Tiling →

06 — SPECIALIST LEADWORK

Leadwork was fundamental to the roof’s performance

The quantity and complexity of lead detailing at St John’s House made it one of the defining elements of the project.

New lead valleys, central guttering, hips, ridges, flashings and bespoke outlets were formed throughout the roof. The original central drainage arrangement was also reconsidered to improve the management of rainwater.

At the front elevation, purpose-made lead hopper heads incorporating overflow provision were introduced to collect water from the bays and adjoining roof slopes.

Specialist Leadwork →
The Lead Lads® →
Buy Rolled Lead Sheet →

07 — CHIMNEY CONSERVATION

Five substantial chimney stacks carefully repaired

The chimney stacks are an important part of the silhouette and architectural character of St John’s House.

Their condition required considerably more than repointing alone.

  • Removal and careful setting aside of chimney pots
  • Dismantling of defective upper masonry
  • Retention and reuse of suitable original bricks
  • Reconstruction of decorative band courses
  • Use of selected reclaimed plain tiles where required
  • Full preparation and lime-mortar repointing
  • Reinstatement of chimney pots
  • Replacement pots sourced to complement surviving originals
  • New weathering and flaunching details

Access required dedicated scaffolding around each stack, built from the principal perimeter scaffold and the roof structure below.

Source Reclaimed Building Materials →

08 — THERMAL PERFORMANCE

Improving performance while the roof was open

Removal of the roof coverings created the opportunity to significantly improve thermal performance without compromising the external character of the property.

  • 300mm quilt insulation to horizontal ceiling areas
  • Actis insulation between selected rafters
  • Actis Boost’R system above the roof structure
  • Counter-battened construction where required

The insulation strategy was integrated into the wider roofing refurbishment rather than treated as a later addition.

09 — CENTRAL LANTERN

Rebuilding a key architectural detail

The central lantern provides natural light into the grand stairwell and forms an integral part of the complicated central roof arrangement.

The original lantern was comprehensively rebuilt using new aluminium windows and a new warm-roof construction.

The roof was then finished in Code 5 lead with timber-roll detailing and carefully integrated with the adjoining chimney and lead gutter system.

10 — RAINWATER MANAGEMENT

Managing water across a complicated roofscape

A roof of this scale is only as successful as its ability to manage rainfall.

New Ogee-profile cast aluminium perimeter gutters were installed together with new hopper heads and associated outlets.

Two prominent front-elevation hopper heads required bespoke construction in Code 6 lead to coordinate with the architectural detailing and provide suitable discharge capacity.

The revised gutter, valley and outlet strategy formed part of a single rainwater-management approach rather than a collection of isolated replacements.

11 — ROOFLIGHTS

Introducing light into the upper floors

New roof windows were introduced across selected roof elevations to improve natural light and ventilation to the upper storeys.

The work required careful trimming of the existing roof structure together with local alterations to historic lath-and-plaster ceilings.

12 — MAKING GOOD

Completing the intervention inside the building

Internal making good formed part of the overall project rather than being left as a separate package.

Areas affected by the roof-window installation were repaired and finished, with associated decoration to the upper-floor accommodation completing the transition between external roofing and internal refurbishment.

13 — DELIVERY

Preparation before covering

On complex re-roofing projects, the visible roof covering is often one of the final components to be installed.

Much of the programme at St John’s House was concerned with preparation, structure, substrates, masonry and interfaces before slating could begin.

Typical project sequence

  1. Condition survey and drone inspection
  2. Specification and access design
  3. Perimeter scaffolding and material handling
  4. Removal of original roof coverings
  5. Chimney repairs and masonry conservation
  6. Structural timber repairs
  7. Insulation installation
  8. Construction of leadwork substrates
  9. Lead valleys, gutters and weatherings
  10. Welsh slate installation
  11. Rainwater goods and roof windows
  12. Internal making good and completion

The sequence allowed each trade to complete the work required for the next, reducing unnecessary disturbance to completed areas and improving overall quality control.

14 — PROJECT RECORD

Before.
During.
Completed.

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The photographic archive documents St John’s House before work began, through the construction process and after completion.

The record preserves details that eventually disappear beneath the finished roof — substrates, timber repairs, leadwork preparation and the process of rebuilding a complex Victorian roof.

15 — PROJECT FILM

St John’s House on film

Drone footage provides a valuable record of the completed roofscape and allows the geometry of the valleys, chimney stacks, leadwork and slate slopes to be understood in a way that ground-level photography cannot.

16 — TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Standards and guidance behind the work

Roofing Regulations + Standards →
BS 5534 Slating + Tiling →
BS 6915 Leadwork →
Roof Insulation Guide →
Heritage Roofing →

17 — INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY

Surveying and specification for complex roofs

Projects of this type demonstrate why detailed investigation and specification matter before major roofing work begins.

Strut Building Surveyors provides independent roof condition surveys, building pathology, defect investigation, repair specifications, contractor procurement and project consultancy.

The surveying consultancy operates independently from Neal Roofing where clients require professional advice or oversight separate from the contracting function.

Strut Building Surveyors →

The Lead Lads®

Specialist lead roofing, detailing, technical guidance and rolled lead sheet for traditional roofing projects.

THE LEAD LADS →
SHOP ROLLED LEAD →

The Reclaimed Company®

Reclaimed roofing materials, chimney pots, bricks, architectural salvage and traditional building materials.

EXPLORE THE MARKETPLACE →

Hot Box®

Specialist chimney, flue and stove services for traditional and period properties.

VISIT HOT BOX →

18 — COMPLETION

A traditional roof rebuilt for another generation

The completed roof retains the architectural language of the original building while substantially improving its weather resistance, drainage and thermal performance.

New Welsh slate, traditional leadwork and carefully repaired chimney stacks restore the character of the nineteenth-century roofscape rather than introducing an obviously modern replacement.

The project demonstrates the value of approaching heritage roofing as a complete building-envelope exercise — understanding structure, water movement, thermal performance, masonry and roof coverings together.

NEAL ROOFING / PROJECT ARCHIVE

Traditional materials. Complex detailing. Heritage roofing in practice.

St John’s House forms part of the Neal Roofing archive documenting substantial residential, heritage, ecclesiastical and commercial roofing projects delivered over several decades.

The archive records real buildings, construction details, material choices and technical challenges — preserving the knowledge accumulated through completed work.