Case study · Grade II listed

Jamaican High Commission

Like for like roof restoration to a grade II listed building

Client

Location

Central London

Listing

Grade II listed

Discipline

Roofing

The brief

Restore the roof of a grade II listed diplomatic building like for like, without changing a single line of its original character.

Listed consent leaves no room for improvisation. Every tile, every lead detail and every mortar joint had to be replaced as it was found, using materials that match the original in colour, texture and profile. The building also had to stay in use and stay watertight throughout, which shaped the sequence of works as much as the specification did.

We surveyed the roof plane by plane, recorded the existing details, and agreed a like for like approach before anything was stripped. The result is a roof that should be good for another century and, from the street, looks exactly as it always has.

What we did

Heritage roofing, detail by detail.

Clay plain tiling

The original clay plain tiles were surveyed, salvaged where sound and matched like for like where they were not. Hips, valleys and verges were hand cut and set out so the coursing runs true across every plane of a complicated roof.

Leadwork

New lead valleys, soakers, stepped flashings and chimney aprons were dressed in the correct codes and welted to falls, so water is carried away from the abutments rather than held against historic brick.

Chimneys and brickwork

Stacks were taken down and rebuilt where they had moved, with matched bricks, lime mortar and repointing carried out to the profile of the original joints. Piers, gables and window surrounds were repaired in the same way.

Access and protection

The whole building was scaffolded with a temporary roof over the works, keeping the interior dry and the fabric protected while the roof was open, and allowing work to continue through poor weather.

On site