Cottages around the Cross
The 1923 county history noted red brick cottages, some timber with brick filling, and one or two thatched.
Roofers in Arborfield
Roofs where six roads meet above the Loddon
Arborfield grew around a crossing of six roads, with a 1654 stable range and a flint church of 1863. Each roof is surveyed as it stands today.
Arborfield Cross, brick cottages and a hall range
Arborfield Hall's stable range
The old stables and laundry form a two-storey red brick range with a gabled roof, carrying the date 1654.
St Bartholomew's flint church
Built in 1863 of flint with stone dressings and an octagonal stone spire, beside the ruins of the old church.
Map of Arborfield with Arborfield Green, Barkham, Sindlesham, Shinfield marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Arborfield Cross, on clay and gravel above the Loddon
Arborfield stands at the Cross, where six roads meet, on clay and gravel above the River Loddon, with Farnborough 13.2 road miles to the south-east.
About 13.2 road miles north-west of Farnborough · Wokingham Borough Council (unitary).
Roof work we do in Arborfield
Arborfield, the Cross and its records
Arborfield roofs, from the Cross to the old hall
Which council handles each part of an Arborfield roof job, what the 1923 county history records about the village's cottages, hall range and church, and how listings and Wokingham's conservation area guide a repair.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wokingham, Building Control Solutions and the licence | Wokingham licenses, scaffolders apply |
| 02 | A 1654 range, an 1863 church and the Cross | Stable range dated 1654 |
| 03 | Listings, war memorial and a conservation area | 13 listed buildings within 500 m |
Chapter 01 of 03
Wokingham, Building Control Solutions and the licence
| Paperwork | Body for Arborfield |
|---|---|
| Planning permission | Wokingham Borough Council |
| Building regulations | Building Control Solutions, with West Berkshire Council |
| Scaffold licence on a public road | Wokingham Borough Council |
| Civil parish | Arborfield and Newland |
| Road distance from Farnborough | 13.2 miles north-west, measured from the A325 |
Arborfield lies in the civil parish of Arborfield and Newland, and it falls under Wokingham Borough Council, a unitary authority that handles planning and the roads. For building regulations, Wokingham works through Building Control Solutions, which it runs with West Berkshire Council. Arborfield is 13.2 road miles north-west of Farnborough, on the A325 measure we use for every distance.
Threshold for a re-roof
Wokingham sets no figure of its own for re-roofing, which puts the Planning Portal's guide in charge. Replacing a modest number of tiles falls under the line, since an application is normally unnecessary below 25 per cent of the building envelope and below 50 per cent of the roof. A heavier covering is a separate test, with an increase of 15 per cent or more in weight needing approval and a structural check. A slate roof being changed to concrete tile is the textbook example, and we compare the weights of both before saying anything about it.
The scaffold tariff
Wokingham's page on scaffold and hoarding licences, last updated on 7 April 2026, starts its tariff at £263 for the first four weeks and adds £163 for each further four-week block. The licence is the scaffolding firm's to file for its customer, and the page wants no fewer than 10 working days between filing and start. It also says no licence is needed for scaffolding on private roads, and that a footway must stay at least 1.2 metres wide.
Arborfield Cross is where six roads meet, and a house close to it may have little room between wall and kerb. A house with a front garden may be able to keep scaffold on your own land. We measure the frontage at the survey and tell you which case is yours, so the date and the licence period are planned from the start.
Whichever roofer you ask, check what a figure assumes about scaffold, VAT and the removal of old material. A number that says nothing about those three is not yet a total price. Ours is a single written total, issued once the survey is done.
Because each further four-week block is charged again, a short job should not carry a long licence. We size the scaffold period from the survey and give you the likely number of days in writing before the booking.
Chapter 02 of 03
A 1654 range, an 1863 church and the Cross
Dates and numbers from Arborfield's record
- 1654date on the old stables and laundry of Arborfield Hall
- 1863year St Bartholomew's Church was built
- 6roads meeting at Arborfield Cross
- 3,296residents, ONS Census 2021, Arborfield and Newland parish
The 1923 county history paints Arborfield Cross in some detail. It noted cottages of red brick with slate or tiled roofs, a few built of timber with brick filling, and one or two with thatched roofs. It describes St Bartholomew's Church as built in 1863, with walls of flint and stone dressings and a stone octagonal spire, and it places the ruins of the old church next to Arborfield Hall. The old stables and laundry of the hall form a two-storey red brick range with a gabled roof and a moulded brick cornice, and they carry the date 1654.
Using the record honestly
That is a snapshot from 1923, not a survey of today's roofs. A century of repairs, extensions and replacements stands between the history and the houses you see now, and a cottage once recorded with a thatched roof may well have been re-covered since. So we treat the record as background, and the roof as the evidence. The survey names the covering on each slope after a close look and a few lifted tiles.
The figure1863yearyear St Bartholomew's flint church was built, long after the dated stable range1654 stable range dated1863 church builtSource: British History Online, Victoria County History of Berkshire, volume 3 (1923), Parishes: Arborfield; Historic England
What the record does give is a sense of range. Arborfield has a 17th-century brick building with a gabled roof, a Victorian flint church and the cottages of a crossroads village, and a repair on any of them has to respect its neighbours. Brick, flint and tile each weather differently, and mortar colour, tile texture and ridge detail show up when they are wrong.
Gabled roofs, like the stable range's, have verges to look after, and the verge is where wind and water first work on a gable. Our pitched roofing page explains how ridges and verges are repaired, including the choice between mortar and dry-fix. Wherever the original was mortared and still sound, we repair in kind.
A few earlier repairs always show on a roof this old. A slate roof patched with tile, a ridge renewed in cement, a chimney capped in a different brick: each is evidence of what the owners of the day could get. We photograph them, because they tell you what has failed before and where.
Arborfield also sits beside a newer neighbour. The former garrison land to the south has become Arborfield Green, which has its own page, Arborfield Green, and its own set of questions about young roofs. Here, the questions are about age.
Chapter 03 of 03
Listings, war memorial and a conservation area
| Designation | Near Arborfield Cross | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area | Arborfield Cross, on Wokingham's list | Check the council's map |
| Grade II listed | Applemore (NHLE 1319118), listed 8 September 1981 | Listed building consent |
| Grade II listed | Arborfield, Newland and Barkham War Memorial (NHLE 1465963) | Listed building consent |
| Grade II listed | Barn and engine house at Newland Farm (NHLE 1031888) | Listed building consent |
Wokingham Borough Council's list of conservation areas includes Arborfield Cross, and 13 listed buildings stand within 500 m of the village centre. A house inside the conservation area, or one of those listed buildings, brings extra care to a roof job. The council's own map shows which side of the boundary your address falls on, and we look it up before we visit.
What the area changes
A conservation area does not forbid repair. What it adds is attention to the look of a roof, so a new covering, a different ridge or a rebuilt stack is a question for Wokingham's planners before it is a question of price. A like-for-like repair, by contrast, is ordinary upkeep. Photographs of the existing roof support that description.
Listed buildings and the memorial
Three listed places stand out: Applemore, the barn and engine house at Newland Farm, and the Arborfield, Newland and Barkham War Memorial, all Grade II. Wokingham Borough Council decides listed building consent for any work that would affect their character. Applemore was first listed on 8 September 1981. Listing leaves permitted development rights in place, but the consent is needed in addition.
A conservation area at the Cross means that the oldest buildings of the village are looked after by the planners as a group. The roofline seen from the junction counts, and an altered ridge or a stack removed from a prominent gable is noticed by neighbours as well as by officers.
The practical sequence is short. We check whether the house is listed, whether it lies inside the Arborfield Cross area, and whether any direction applies, then record the roof. Only then does the discussion turn to tile, mortar and price, and the written price follows the survey in the usual way.
Listing facts
1981year Applemore was listed, in September
13listed buildings within 500 m of the centre
Wokingham publishes a list of confirmed Article 4 directions. For an individual address, check whether a direction applies with Wokingham Borough Council; we ask on your behalf before pricing work that changes a roof's appearance.
For an unlisted house outside the conservation area, the work is more straightforward, but a matching repair still keeps the road looking right. Our slate roofing page explains how slipped slates are replaced and when a larger job is the better buy.
Arborfield roof questions, from gables to the Cross
My Arborfield cottage has a gable end that lets water in at the verge: what is the usual cause?
A verge runs up the sloping edge of a gable, and on an older cottage the mortar bedding or the tiles along it may have loosened. Wind then drives rain under the edge. We examine the verge from the ladder, photograph it, and tell you whether re-bedding, a dry-fix system or a fuller repair is the answer.
Can I replace Arborfield slate with concrete tile without any approval?
Not safely without checking. Concrete tile is heavier, and the Planning Portal says a covering that adds 15 per cent or more to the weight needs Building Regulations approval and a structural check. In a conservation area, a change of material is also a matter for Wokingham's planners. We compare the weights of both coverings before advising.
Who applies for scaffold on a road near Arborfield Cross?
Wokingham Borough Council has the scaffolding firm file the licence for its customer, and wants at least 10 working days between filing and start. The fee is £263 for the first four weeks. Roads that are private need no licence, so we establish your road's status first and then plan the dates.
Does the Grade II listing of Applemore affect my unlisted house nearby?
No, the listing attaches to Applemore alone. The consent rules apply to work that would alter its character, and your house is a separate case. You should still check whether yours is inside the Arborfield Cross conservation area, which Wokingham's map will show, because that can affect changes to the look of the roof.
Loddon valley villages around Arborfield
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