Refurbishing the roofs of old and historic buildings can be a real challenge for builders - particularly when the original peg tiles and rafters need to be replaced and the protection of an endangered species is also involved!
Such a challenge was recently encountered during the refurbishment of Bethersden Primary School Kent
The roof of this hundred year old building, which still had its original peg tiles, had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years and, being in a conservation area, only ‘like for like’ replacement peg tiles could be used.
Tudor supplied 28,000 new hand made peg tiles, with traditional square peg holes, in a mix of 70% medium antique and 30% dark antique, to give an ‘olde world’, time weathered appearance.
As the historic school was also a possible roosting site for pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats, great care had to be taken not to disturb the bats’ habitat. Tudor provided easy entry into the roof space through innovative ‘bat access tiles’ located in the roof and ridge.
Which goes to show, with high quality workmanship, use of sympathetic materials, and a careful approach to conservation in accordance with the EPS license, bats and replacing peg tiles in old roofs need not be insurmountable!
Refurbishing old tiles, especially century old tiles like those from this school, needs great expertise. Cheers for an outstanding finish! The mix of the two color palettes did create a vintage atmosphere that speaks volumes about the school’s century-long service to the community. The students will feel more at home in their school because the new roofs also added a homey, cozy feeling to it.Will Peartin
ReplyDeleteOne could also use natural clay roofs. These roofs don’t fade hence, they don’t need painting. However, they can still suffer from unsightly moss, lichen and fungus.
DeleteSaundra Wordlaw
Thank you all for your comments. We are obviously proud to have a part in extending the life of historic buildings by utilising traditional techniques in our manufacture of handmade clay tiles with colour variations that occur naturally in the firing process, further enhancing the character & beauty of these buildings.
ReplyDeleteRelearning a skill that has been forgotten for years takes practice to perfect again. After all, humans are said to be creatures of amnesia. We keep forgetting what happened in the past, or we disregard it, but only to take it up when we need it. I’m glad people are still keeping the school traditional. I even smiled when they left a place for the bats to sleep in.
ReplyDeleteKermit Lukacs