A medieval tile kiln
A kiln found at Borelli Yard, dated to just before 1216, produced pegged roof tiles and dragon-backed ridge tiles.
Roofers in Farnham
Roofs in a market town with a tile kiln and 387 listings
Farnham is a market town on the River Wey, on the Surrey and Hampshire border, with 387 listed buildings in its centre. Each roof is measured, photographed and quoted once.
Farnham's roofs, from medieval kiln to railway slate
Yellow brick and slate
Once the railway reached Farnham, yellow bricks and slates were brought in as building materials.
387 listed buildings
Waverley's appraisal counts 387 listed buildings in the town centre, a very high number for its size.
Map of Farnham with Hale, Wrecclesham, Weybourne, Badshot Lea marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Farnham, on the River Wey at the Surrey and Hampshire border
Hale lies just north-east, Weybourne and Badshot Lea beyond it, Wrecclesham and Rowledge to the south-west, Ewshot to the north-west, and Aldershot further north-east.
About 7.4 road miles south of Farnborough · Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
Farnham: the jobs we take on
Farnham, kiln and castle
Farnham roofs, from a 1216 kiln to six areas
What Waverley's records say about Farnham's roofing history, from a medieval tile kiln to railway-age slate, which of its 387 town-centre listings and six conservation areas matter, and who stands behind inspection and scaffold licences.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | A medieval tile kiln and 387 listed town-centre buildings | Kiln c.1216; 387 listed buildings |
| 02 | Six Farnham conservation areas and the 1970 town centre | Town centre designated 1970, extended 1979 |
| 03 | Three Grade I buildings, Waverley's service and Surrey's licence | Castle, Grange and St Andrew's Grade I |
Chapter 01 of 03
A medieval tile kiln and 387 listed town-centre buildings
Farnham's roofing history and heritage in published figures
- 1216date of the medieval tile kiln at Borelli Yard
- 387listed buildings in the town centre conservation area
- 42,199residents of Farnham parish, Census 2021
- 7.4 road milessouth of Farnborough, measured from the A325
Farnham's record of roof-tile making reaches back to the early 13th century. A medieval tile kiln dug up in Borelli Yard, dated to just before 1216, was making pegged roof tiles and dragon-backed ridge tiles. Waverley's appraisal also records a later change: once the railway reached Farnham, yellow bricks and slates were brought in and began to appear as building materials in the town. The appraisal counts 387 listed buildings in the town centre conservation area and calls that a very high number for a town centre of its size.
What the kiln does and does not tell us
A kiln of about 1216 tells us that clay roof tiles were being made in medieval Farnham, and that they included ridge tiles of a distinctive form. It does not tell us what covers any roof today, and we draw no conclusion from it, and the report keeps history and evidence apart. The railway-age note is the same kind of evidence: slate and yellow brick arrived, and some buildings used them. Whether yours is among them is for the survey to find out.
The figure387listedlisted buildings stand in Farnham's town centre conservation area, a very high number for its size387 town centre
In a town with this much history, roofs come in layers. A building may carry hand-made clay tiles on one slope, machine-made ones on another and slate on an extension, and the survey separates them. We measure each slope, try fixings by hand, note every junction and chimney, check the roof space and trace the rainwater down to the drain. The report lays all of it out slope by slope.
Our slate roofing page explains how slates are repaired and replaced, and our pitched roofing page covers clay and concrete tiles. If a repair is enough, a repair is the quote; if the covering has failed throughout, the pictures show why.
Medieval-style clay is worth a special word. Pegged tiles hang from battens on pegs of oak or other timber rather than on nails, and dragon-backed ridge tiles have a raised crest. A roof that still carries such tiles deserves careful hands, and any that survive are recorded and, where sound, kept for re-use. Modern lookalikes exist, but a match is judged by eye on the roof itself, in daylight, before anything is ordered.
Chapter 02 of 03
Six Farnham conservation areas and the 1970 town centre
| Conservation area | Detail | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Farnham Town Centre | Designated 1970, extended 1979; 387 listed buildings | Ask Waverley before changing a covering |
| Great Austins | Listed by Waverley for Farnham | Check your address |
| Old Church Lane | Listed by Waverley for Farnham | Check your address |
| Shepherd and Flock | Listed by Waverley for Farnham | Check your address |
| Waverley Abbey and Wrecclesham | Listed by Waverley for Farnham | Check your address |
Waverley lists six conservation areas in Farnham: Farnham Town Centre, Great Austins, Old Church Lane, Shepherd and Flock, Waverley Abbey and Wrecclesham. The town centre area was designated in 1970 and extended in 1979. Waverley as a whole has 44 conservation areas, and Farnham holds a good share of them.
What a conservation area changes on a roof
Very little for a repair in matching material, and a good deal for a change of appearance. Putting back the same tile or slate in the same manner raises no question, and the survey shows that it was done that way. Anything that alters the roof's look, such as a new covering, a visible roof window or a changed stack, is work that Waverley's planning team should see first, so we raise it with them ahead of a quote. In a historic centre many roofs are overlooked from the street or from a neighbour's window, and the planners know it. A roof that looks minor from the ground can be a prominent feature from the castle hill or from an upper window across the street.
Waverley's Article 4 pages list directions for Farnham sites, among them Lowndes Buildings on Castle Street and Long Garden Walk, both made in 2006, as well as directions covering a trading estate and several plots of land. The council's summaries do not frame any of them around roofs. We still ask Waverley about each address, because the notices, not the summaries, set the boundaries.
For any building in the centre, the survey is the evidence on which a decision rests. It records the covering, ridge, eaves and chimneys in dated pictures with measurements, so a planner can see what is there and judge a repair against it, and so can you. Our chimney repairs page explains how stacks are inspected and mended, and the report flags any stack that leans, cracks or has lost its flaunching.
With six areas in one town, the question of which one a house sits in is not always obvious from the street. Boundaries follow plots and lanes, not the look of a building, and two neighbouring houses can fall on different sides of a line. That is why we consult the map for each address and do not rely on a house's age or appearance.
Chapter 03 of 03
Three Grade I buildings, Waverley's service and Surrey's licence
Heritage and terms behind a Farnham roof job
- Grade IFarnham Castle, NHLE 1044677, listed 26 April 1950
- Grade IThe Grange, NHLE 1044678
- Grade IChurch of St Andrew, NHLE 1044627
- 28 daysSurrey County Council scaffold licence period
Farnham Castle, The Grange and the Church of St Andrew are each listed Grade I, the highest grade. The Church of St Joan of Arc is Grade II, first listed on 3 June 2010, and as a Catholic church still in use, it comes under the ecclesiastical exemption: roof work there is approved through the Catholic Church's own process, not listed building consent. For the other listed buildings, listed building consent is needed before any work that would change their character. A neighbouring unlisted building sits outside all these listings.
Waverley's inspectors
Waverley Borough Council runs its own building control service, Waverley Building Control, and homeowners may instead appoint a registered building control approver. A few refixed tiles involve neither. For re-roofing the Planning Portal has two no-application ceilings, 25 per cent of the building envelope and 50 per cent of the roof, and a replacement covering at least 15 per cent heavier has to be approved, and a structural check beforehand is the Planning Portal's advice.
Scaffold in a dense centre
Surrey County Council licenses scaffold on Farnham's streets at £208 per 28-day period, wanting 10 working days of notice. Its page leaves the applicant open, so the arrangement is made with the scaffolder. In a town centre the pavement is shared with shoppers, and the position of the poles, the route for pedestrians and the delivery points all need agreeing before anything is booked. We do that at the survey and write it into the plan, with photographs of the street frontage attached.
West Surrey Council replaces Waverley and the county on 1 April 2027, as Surrey has announced, and we trace any job that spans the date to its new holder in good time, so that no licence or consent is left with an office that has closed.
Town-centre streets are busier on some days than others, and a scaffold plan should allow for the difference. We ask about local events, loading restrictions and neighbours' access when we plan the site, write the answers into the programme, and share it with you before the first day. Weather matters as well: the Met Office's South Farnborough averages for 1991 to 2020 show 118 wet days a year, so spare days are built in and you hear early if a forecast threatens the plan.
Farnham roof questions, from pegged tiles to Grade I neighbours
Can pegged clay tiles on a Farnham roof be matched on a repair?
Often, yes. A medieval Farnham kiln made pegged roof tiles, but that tells us nothing about your roof, which we read for ourselves. We photograph the existing tiles, salvage sound ones, and hold candidate replacements against the roof before ordering, so a match is judged by eye on your own house.
Is consent needed for repairs inside Farnham's town centre conservation area?
A repair in matching material raises no question. A different covering, a visible roof window or a changed chimney goes to Waverley's planning team first. The area was designated in 1970 and extended in 1979, and the council's map decides which side of the line your address falls. We consult it before quoting.
Does Farnham Castle's Grade I listing affect roofs nearby?
Not at all. The listing covers the castle and its fabric. A neighbouring building needs consent only if it is listed itself, though being in a conservation area brings separate planning questions. Which case yours is can be read off the National Heritage List and Waverley's maps; both are consulted during the survey and the answer is recorded.
Why does a Farnham town-centre job need pole positions agreed first?
Town-centre pavements carry shoppers and deliveries, so where scaffold stands decides whether pedestrians can pass, whether deliveries can reach the door and whether Surrey County Council's licence is needed at all. The licence is £208 per 28 days with 10 working days of notice. We agree positions with you at the survey.
Town-centre and valley roofs we reach around Farnham
Get your free roof quote
A Farnham roof, with its listings and areas checked first
Name your Farnham street and what you have seen. A visit is booked, and the single price follows in writing.
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.