commercial roofing services

NEAL ROOFING / PROJECT ARCHIVE

High Petergate
Heritage Roofing

Re-roofing of a Grade II listed public house in York city centre using reclaimed natural slate, traditional leadwork and carefully detailed roof interfaces.

HIGH PETERGATE · YORK · GRADE II LISTED · RECLAIMED SLATE · LEADWORK

Explore the Project

01 — THE PROJECT

Re-roofing a Grade II listed building in the heart of York

Neal Roofing, formerly Geoff Neal Roofing, was appointed by an existing client to undertake the complete re-roofing of a Grade II listed public house on High Petergate, directly within York’s historic city centre.

The project required a traditional approach using reclaimed natural slate together with extensive lead detailing to valleys, flashings, gutters and roof interfaces. The complexity of the roof geometry made careful preparation and workmanship particularly important.

HERITAGE ROOFING →
NATURAL SLATE ROOFING →
SPECIALIST LEADWORK →

LOCATION

High Petergate, York

PROGRAMME

8 Weeks

BUILDING

Grade II Listed

PRIMARY MATERIAL

Reclaimed Slate

02 — THE BUILDING

Traditional roofing within York’s historic core

High Petergate forms one of the principal historic streets leading towards York Minster and contains a dense concentration of listed and architecturally important buildings.

Working on a roof in this location requires more than technical roofing ability. Access, material handling, neighbouring buildings, public interfaces and conservation requirements all influence how the work must be planned and delivered.

03 — EXISTING CONDITION

A roof requiring comprehensive renewal

The existing roof covering had reached the point where continued localised repair no longer represented an appropriate long-term solution.

The combination of ageing slate and numerous junctions meant that the roof needed to be considered as a complete weathering system rather than a collection of isolated defects.

The agreed approach was therefore to remove the existing coverings, prepare the roof correctly and reinstate the covering using reclaimed slate selected to maintain the established appearance of the listed building.

04 — SCOPE OF WORKS

Traditional materials, complex detailing.

The roof contained numerous interfaces where slating, leadwork and timber preparation had to work together to achieve a durable finished result.

Roofing

  • Removal of existing roof coverings
  • Inspection and repair of roof substrates
  • New treated timber battens
  • Proctor Roofshield membrane
  • Installation of reclaimed natural slate
  • Traditional slate detailing

Leadwork

  • Code 3 lead flashings
  • Code 5 lead details
  • Valleys and gutter interfaces
  • Chimney weatherings
  • Roof junctions and abutments
  • Bespoke details where required

05 — RECLAIMED SLATE

Maintaining the established character of the roofscape

Reclaimed natural slate was selected to preserve the visual character expected of a historic building in one of York’s most sensitive streets.

Carefully graded reclaimed slate provides the texture, colour variation and weathered appearance that can be difficult to reproduce using modern alternatives.

Correct sorting, setting out and fixing are essential if reclaimed slate is to create both a visually coherent and technically reliable roof covering.

Traditional Slate Roofing →
The Reclaimed Company →

06 — SPECIALIST LEADWORK

The details determine whether a complex roof works

On a roof with multiple intersections and abutments, leadwork is fundamental to the success of the overall covering.

Code 3 and Code 5 rolled lead sheet was used across flashings and more substantial weathering details, with each interface prepared and formed to suit its individual geometry.

The aim was not simply to make individual junctions watertight, but to ensure that the roof worked as one coordinated drainage and weathering system.

Specialist Leadwork →
The Lead Lads® →

07 — CRAFT

A project where preparation mattered as much as the finish

Large and highly detailed heritage roofs demand a broad understanding of how slate, timber and lead interact.

Much of the value in this type of work lies beneath the visible finished covering: accurate battens, sound substrates, properly prepared junctions and sufficient room for lead details to be formed correctly.

08 — DELIVERY

Eight weeks in York city centre

The project was delivered over approximately eight weeks within the operational constraints of High Petergate and York city centre.

Careful sequencing allowed the existing roof to be stripped, substrates prepared and the new slate and lead coverings installed while maintaining control over weather protection and access.

09 — PROJECT RECORD

Before.
After.

The photographic archive records the condition of the High Petergate roof before work and the completed reclaimed-slate and leadwork installation.

These records form part of the wider Neal Roofing archive documenting the materials and workmanship used across completed heritage roofing projects.

10 — TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Standards and guidance behind the work

Roofing Regulations + Standards →
BS 5534 Slating + Tiling →
BS 6915 Leadwork →
BS 8000 Workmanship →
Heritage Roofing →

11 — INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY

Independent surveys and specifications

Historic roofs often benefit from an independent condition assessment and properly defined repair specification before works are procured.

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

The consultancy operates separately from Neal Roofing where an independent professional role is required.

Strut Building Surveyors →

The Lead Lads®

Specialist lead roofing, technical guidance, detailing and rolled lead sheet.

THE LEAD LADS →

The Reclaimed Company®

Reclaimed slate, traditional roofing materials and architectural salvage.

EXPLORE THE MARKETPLACE →

Neal Roofing Knowledge Base

Technical guidance covering slate roofing, leadwork, workmanship and building regulations.

EXPLORE TECHNICAL GUIDANCE →

12 — COMPLETION

A traditional roof renewed for the next phase of the building’s life

The completed roof maintains the weathered character expected of a listed building in central York while replacing an ageing covering with a carefully prepared and properly detailed slate and lead roofing system.

The project is a good example of Neal Roofing’s core heritage work: traditional materials, difficult geometry, careful preparation and specialist craftsmanship brought together within one roofing contract.

NEAL ROOFING / PROJECT ARCHIVE

Historic York. Reclaimed slate. Traditional roofing in practice.

High Petergate forms part of the Neal Roofing archive documenting heritage, ecclesiastical, residential and commercial roofing projects delivered over several decades.

The archive records real buildings, materials, detailing and technical challenges — preserving the experience accumulated through completed work.