Victorian villas with slate roofs in a North Somerset town near the coast

Roofers in Wrington

Wrington is a village on the north slopes of the Mendip Hills, in the Congresbury Yeo valley, 22.5 road miles to the west of central Bath. We look after chimneys on its listed houses, surveys on hard-to-reach roofs and repairs to its community buildings.

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Local roofs

A village between the hill and the river

Wrington lies on the north slopes of the Mendip Hills, in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river. The land tilts down towards the water, and the village follows it, so many of its houses stand on ground that rises behind and falls away in front. Roofs on a slope see a lot of run-off, trees in a river valley shed a lot of leaves, and both matter for the gutters.

The village's best-known landmark is the Church of All Saints, Grade I listed, with a tall four-stage tower added about 1450. It stands 113.5 feet (35 m) to the tip of its pinnacles. Nearer to ground level, the 17th-century rectory is Grade II listed, and so are the premises of the village primary school, which opened on 1 May 1857. A railway once served the village: the Wrington Vale Light Railway, which ran from Congresbury to Blagdon, had a station here from 1901 to 1963, though passenger trains stopped in 1931 and goods carried on until 1963.

These are the bones of a village with real history and real maintenance obligations. A roof on a listed rectory, a school building or a church tower is not the same as a roof on a modern semi, and the work has to be planned accordingly.

We cover all of it, and we start with a survey: photographs of the roof as it is, a written note of what needs doing and a fixed price.

Council: North Somerset Council
From central Bath: 22.5 road miles, west
Church tower: Added about 1450, 113.5 feet to the pinnacles
School: Opened 1857, premises Grade II listed
Railway: Wrington Vale Light Railway, 1901 to 1963

What we find

Valley-tree gutters and roofs hidden from the lane

Roofs on a slope above a river

Valley ground, shelter and trees change what ends up in the gutters and what stays damp on the north side.

Wrington sits between two kinds of ground, the Mendip slope above and the Congresbury Yeo valley below. Houses in both feel the effect on their roofs, though in different ways.

On the slope, the roofs shed water towards the downhill side. A gutter that is slightly undersized, or has lost its fall, can overflow and send a sheet of water down the wall, which marks the render and soaks the lower courses. On the uphill side, run-off from the ground itself can splash back, and the bottom row of tiles gets wet from below as well as above. Look at the wall beneath the eaves: a green or dark stain in a straight line points to a gutter problem, not a covering problem.

In the valley, the trees are the thing. Trees drop seeds and leaves, and gutters under them need clearing more often than gutters in an open street. A clogged gutter holds water against the fascia board, and the board rots from the top edge. Leaves also collect in roof valleys and behind chimney stacks, where they hold damp against the slates and the lead. Our roof inspections include a look at all of these places.

Shade slows drying. A roof slope that sits in the shadow of trees or a hill will stay damp longer, and moss and algae find it first. Neither does harm as a thin film, yet a heavy crust stays damp against the covering and, once frost gets in, prises up slate and tile edges. We note growth when we survey and tell you whether it needs removing or simply watching.

The aim is to catch faults when they are small. A bracket re-fixed or a gutter cleared at the right time costs very little, and a rotten fascia or a damp wall costs a good deal more.

The rectory, its chimneys and consent

A 17th-century house keeps its roof in good order mostly through the stack, the lead and the mortar.

Wrington's rectory is a 17th-century house with a Grade II listing. Houses of that age often have steep slopes and tall stacks, and a covering that has been renewed more than once. The chimney is usually the most exposed part and the first to need attention.

A stack has four parts that matter. The flaunching is the sloping mortar cap that seats the pots. Pointing is the mortar filling the joints between stones or bricks. Flashing is the lead that bridges the gap where the stack meets the slope. And the pots themselves, if clay, can crack in frost. Any of these can fail alone or together. A common route for water is a cracked flaunching that lets rain into the stack, so the damp appears in a first-floor room, not in the loft.

The material for each repair matters. Lime mortar is softer than the masonry around it, so moisture leaves through the joint and the stone or old brick is spared. Hard cement works the other way round, and the masonry beside it decays. Lead is renewed in the same pattern as before, with soakers dressed under the slates and a cover flashing above. For a stack that has gone beyond repair, a rebuild in the original materials is possible, and the process is described under chimney repairs.

On a listed house, the question of consent comes first. Listed building consent is issued by the local planning authority, which for Wrington is North Somerset Council, and the council's own pages explain how to apply. A plain repair in matching materials may call for no more than a chat, but changing a stack's height or form means a full application. If you are in doubt, ask before you book anyone.

Our written proposal for a listed chimney describes the stone or brick, the mortar mix, the lead and the method. That document is for you and for the council, and it keeps everyone on the same page.

Myth

A chimney stack needs no attention between rebuilds.

Fact

Flaunching, pointing and lead all weather and fail on a slower schedule than the stonework, and renewing them in time is what puts off a rebuild.

The school, the church and other community roofs

Public buildings need a different kind of planning from houses, because other people use them every day.

The village primary school opened on 1 May 1857, and its premises are Grade II listed. All Saints' tower, at 113.5 feet, dominates the skyline. Between them, they show what community roofs are like: high, often complicated and responsible to more than one person.

When the roof belongs to a school, a hall or a church, the work is planned around the building's use. The roof must be safe for the people below during the works, the access has to be arranged so as not to block entrances or play areas, and the timing has to suit the people who run the place. These are practical points, and they are easier to settle at the start than in the middle of the job.

The paperwork is also different. A trustee, a headteacher or a parochial church council usually needs a written specification they can show to others, with the covering, the lead, the access method and the price set out clearly. We provide that, with photographs, so that a committee can decide on evidence. The scale of such work puts it under our commercial roofing service, where jobs are priced on survey and not from a list.

Listed status adds one more step. For a listed school in Wrington, North Somerset Council is the authority to speak to about consent, whereas a parish church where worship continues answers to its diocese, which grants a faculty for the roof. Do the paperwork before the scaffolding goes up.

Protected species deserve a mention. Old church and school roofs can shelter bats and nesting birds, both protected by law. Any sign of them halts the work until the next step is agreed.

The aim in each case is a roof that is repaired once and does not need to be revisited, and a building that can carry on in use.

113.5 ft

Height of All Saints' tower to the tip of its pinnacles

1857

Year the village primary school opened

1963

Year the railway station closed

Figures: Wrington entry, Wikipedia, checked October 2026

Surveying roofs you cannot easily see

Tall naves, parapets and hidden gutters need a plan for being looked at before anyone can price them.

The Wrington Vale Light Railway, which ran from Congresbury to Blagdon and had a station at Wrington from 1901 to 1963, is a fair parable for roof surveys: what is out of sight is often still there and still affecting things. A roof is the same. You do not see the felt, the valley gutters or the timbers, and you only learn about them when water arrives.

A proper roof inspection is the way to find out. It covers the covering, the ridge and verge, the chimney, the flashings, the gutters and, where possible, the loft. The surveyor records the state of each with photographs and notes, and gives you a written account. On a low roof the inspection is done from a ladder and from inside. On a high or complex roof, such as a church nave or a school hall, it may call for a tower, a platform or a drone, and the choice affects the cost.

MyBuilder's 2026 cost guide gives typical UK ranges for inspections of about £150 to £500, with a standard inspection at the lower end, a drone inspection in the middle and a thermal one at the top. After we have surveyed, we send a fixed quote. We charge nothing for our survey, and you get photographs of your roof with it.

An inspection is useful before buying a house, before a loft conversion, after a storm and when an insurer asks for evidence. If you are making an insurance claim after storm damage, photographs and a roofer's report help, though no one can promise how a claim will go. Insurers commonly count a storm as gusts of 55 mph or more, and general wear and tear is often left out of cover.

Whatever the reason, the inspection ends with a clear list: what is fine, what is developing and what needs doing now.

Survey first

Look before you price: a written inspection with photographs of your own roof is the cheapest way to avoid paying for the wrong repair.

Nearby

Roofers near Wrington

Roofing services in Wrington

Local questions

Asked between the hill and the Congresbury Yeo

Why do the gutters on my Wrington house overflow when the downpipe is clear?

The cause is usually the run, not the pipe. A gutter whose fall has gone holds water at one end and spills at a joint, as does one hanging from a dropped bracket. On a slope, run-off from a large roof area can also exceed what a small gutter can carry. Fall, joints and brackets get checked before we suggest anything larger.

The rectory chimney needs work. Do we need to ask the council first?

For a listed house, yes, ask. Redoing flaunching or pointing in matching materials may need only a word with North Somerset Council, whereas rebuilding a stack or changing its shape is an application. In writing we set out the mortar, the stone or brick and the lead, so the council has particulars to weigh.

Can the primary school roof be inspected without disrupting classes?

A survey can be arranged around the school day, with access from outside and from the loft, and a drone where it suits. The written report then says what is needed and when. Any repair work is planned with the school's staff so that entrances, play areas and neighbours are looked after before scaffolding is put up.

I live under trees in the Yeo valley. How often should the roof and gutters be checked?

There is no fixed interval, but twice a year, after the leaves fall and after the seeds drop, is a sensible habit for gutters under trees. The roof covering and valleys can be looked at on the same visit. A survey after a storm is also worthwhile, because wind often brings branches down onto slates and into gutters.

Get your free survey

Get your free roof survey

Tell us what's happening and we'll call you back to arrange a visit. Prefer to talk? Call 01225 285181.

Photos of your own roof
A fixed price in writing
10-year workmanship guarantee