NEAL ROOFING / HERITAGE PROJECT

Wheldrake Church
Roof Restoration

Roof conservation and re-roofing works to Grade I listed St Helen’s Church in Wheldrake, York, incorporating Westmorland slate, specialist leadwork, timber repairs and carefully considered traditional detailing.

WHELDRAKE · YORK · GRADE I LISTED · WESTMORLAND SLATE · LEADWORK

Explore the Project

01 — THE BUILDING

Roof conservation at St Helen’s Church, Wheldrake

St Helen’s Church in Wheldrake is a Grade I listed building whose surviving fabric records several distinct periods of construction and alteration.

Its fourteenth-century tower is connected to a later nave and five-sided apse dating from 1779. The building combines magnesium limestone, brickwork, stone parapets, lead roofing and Westmorland slate within a complex historic roofscape.

Neal Roofing, formerly Geoff Neal Roofing, was appointed to replace the roof coverings and associated leadwork to the nave and apse while preserving the architectural character and surviving historic fabric.

HERITAGE ROOFING →
NATURAL SLATE ROOFING →
SPECIALIST LEADWORK →

PROJECT

Church Roof Restoration

PROGRAMME

12 Weeks

BUILDING

Grade I Listed

PRIMARY MATERIAL

Westmorland Slate

02 — EXISTING ROOF

A historic roof requiring coordinated renewal

The east end of the church is particularly distinctive, with the five-sided apse covered in Westmorland slate and surrounded by integral stone gutters lined in lead.

Lead hips over traditional timber rolls form the principal junctions between the slate elevations, while the higher nave and adjacent stonework create a number of technically sensitive interfaces.

The renewal strategy therefore needed to consider the slate, leadwork, timber supporting structure and masonry details as parts of one weathering system.

03 — OPENING-UP

Protecting the church while the roof was exposed

A temporary roof was erected before the principal coverings were removed.

This provided protection to the church interior and surviving historic fabric while allowing the existing Westmorland slate and associated weatherings to be dismantled in a controlled manner.

Once exposed, the underlying timber structure could be inspected properly and defective components identified for localised repair or replacement before reinstatement of the permanent roof coverings.

Westmorland Slate

Traditional natural stone slate reinstated in diminishing courses.

Leadwork

Integral gutters, hips and weathering details formed around the historic roof geometry.

Church Conservation

Traditional materials and repair techniques used to preserve Grade I listed fabric.

04 — SCOPE OF WORKS

Traditional roofing across a sensitive Grade I listed structure.

The works concentrated on reinstating the nave and apse roof coverings while resolving the associated timber, masonry and lead weathering details.

Roofing

  • Temporary roof protection
  • Removal of existing slate coverings
  • Inspection of roof timbers
  • Isolated timber repairs
  • New and reclaimed Westmorland slate
  • Traditional diminishing-course slating
  • New timber battens

Lead + Masonry

  • Renewal of lead-lined gutters
  • Lead hips over timber rolls
  • Lead interfaces to adjoining roof areas
  • Removal of selected coping stones
  • New lead damp-proof course
  • Re-bedding of coping stones
  • Associated weathering details

05 — WESTMORLAND SLATE

Reinstating an important traditional roof covering

Westmorland slate forms an important part of the architectural character of Wheldrake Church, particularly across the five-sided apse.

The replacement strategy incorporated both suitable reclaimed material and carefully matched new slate where required.

Traditional diminishing courses were retained so that the visual rhythm, changing slate dimensions and texture of the historic roofscape remained appropriate to the building.

The objective was not to make the completed roof appear artificially new, but to provide a durable replacement that remained visually integrated with the surviving church fabric.

Natural Slate Roofing →
Westmorland Roof Slates →
BS 5534 Slating + Tiling →

06 — SPECIALIST LEADWORK

Complex weathering around the apse and adjoining roof areas

The geometry of the church required carefully formed leadwork around the integral stone gutters, hips and interfaces between the lower apse and higher nave.

The hips were formed over timber rolls, retaining a traditional detail suitable for the character of the church.

Lead linings and interfaces were reconstructed over properly prepared substrates so that the finished details could accommodate rainwater, movement and long-term weathering without relying on inappropriate patch repairs.

Specialist Leadwork →
BS 6915 Leadwork →
The Lead Lads® →

07 — TIMBER REPAIRS

Repairing only what needed to be replaced

Removal of the existing roof coverings provided access to the supporting timber structure that could not be assessed fully while the church remained roofed.

The conservation approach was based on retaining serviceable historic timber wherever practicable and carrying out isolated replacement only where deterioration affected structural or weathering performance.

This selective approach reduced unnecessary loss of original material while providing suitable support for the reinstated slate and leadwork.

08 — STONE COPINGS

Protecting the masonry beneath the roofline

Selected coping stones at the gable ends were removed as part of the roof works.

A new lead damp-proof course was introduced beneath the copings before the original stones were re-bedded.

The detail provided additional protection to the masonry below while allowing the visible historic stonework to be retained and reinstated.

09 — HERITAGE ROOFING

Church roofing is conservation as much as construction.

Historic ecclesiastical buildings bring together materials and construction techniques from different periods, often within a single roof area.

Successful repair therefore requires more than replacing the visible covering. Slate sizing, timber structure, masonry, leadwork, drainage and existing architectural details must all be understood before intervention takes place.

At Wheldrake, the objective was to preserve as much surviving fabric as practicable while reinstating a roof capable of protecting the church for the long term.

HERITAGE ROOFING →
ROOFING REGULATIONS + STANDARDS →

10 — PROJECT RECORD

Before.
During.
Completed.

The Wheldrake Church photographic archive documents the roof before dismantling, the exposed and preparation stages, and the completed Westmorland slate and leadwork.

The record is particularly useful on heritage projects because it preserves evidence of construction stages and concealed details that are no longer visible once the roof has been completed.

Project imagery

The church roof and its existing Westmorland slate, leadwork and masonry details are recorded before dismantling commenced.

Construction images record the temporary works, opening-up, substrate repairs and progressive reinstatement of the roof coverings.

payment terms

payment terms

The completed project records the reinstated Westmorland slate roof, lead hips, gutters and associated conservation details.

building conservation

New Westmorland slates used on a listed church

11 — TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Standards and guidance behind the work

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

12 — INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY

Surveying and specification for historic buildings

Ecclesiastical and listed-building roofing projects frequently benefit from detailed investigation, condition assessment and repair specification before construction begins.

Strut Building Surveyors provides independent building pathology, roof condition surveys, building-envelope consultancy, repair specifications, contractor procurement and project management.

The consultancy operates independently from Neal Roofing where professional advice, specification or project oversight is required separately from the contracting function.

Strut Building Surveyors →

Heritage Roofing

Specialist roof restoration for listed, historic and architecturally significant buildings.

HERITAGE ROOFING →

The Lead Lads®

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

THE LEAD LADS →

The Reclaimed Company®

Traditional and reclaimed roofing materials, architectural salvage and historic building components.

EXPLORE THE MARKETPLACE →

13 — PROJECT OUTCOME

Preserving the traditional roofscape of a Grade I listed church

The completed works reinstated the slate and lead weathering systems while retaining the architectural character that makes St Helen’s Church significant.

Westmorland slate, traditional diminishing courses, carefully formed leadwork, localised timber repairs and reinstated stone copings combine to provide a roof that remains visually appropriate to the historic building.

The project demonstrates the value of approaching church roofing as a conservation exercise rather than simply replacing a covering.

NEAL ROOFING / PROJECT ARCHIVE

Historic fabric. Traditional materials. Church roofing in practice.

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

The archive records real buildings, traditional materials, construction details and technical challenges — preserving the practical experience accumulated through completed roofing work.