Lead flashings, valley liners, parapet gutters and sheet lead work across Stratford-upon-Avon. Conservation area and listed building specialists — code 4 and code 5 lead to BS EN 12588. Free quotes, no call-out fees.
Lead roofing is the area of our trade where experience and attention to detail matter most. Stratford-upon-Avon has one of the highest concentrations of period properties in Warwickshire — and lead is the defining material that keeps those properties watertight at their most vulnerable points: chimneys, dormers, valleys, parapets and abutments. A poorly dressed lead flashing fails. A correctly sized, properly fixed lead flashing with correct drips and correct laps does not.
The majority of our lead work in Stratford falls into three categories. The most common is chimney flashing replacement: step and cover flashings on Victorian and Edwardian stacks throughout the town, particularly on north-facing elevations where original lead on Shipston Road, Evesham Road and the Alcester Road approach has reached the end of its 50 to 60 year service life. The second category is valley liner replacement — lead valley liners behind dormers and between rear extensions are a frequent failure point, particularly on Old Town period properties. The third is parapet gutter work on Regency and Georgian townhouses in the central conservation area, where flat lead parapet gutters require careful re-dressing and checking of drip details.
Every lead flashing we install is wedged into a proper chase cut in the mortar course, not surface-applied with mortar. Every step flashing is correctly lapped and dressed into the tile course below. Every back gutter is formed with a proper upstand and drip edge. This is not extra effort — it is the difference between a flashing that lasts 50 years and one that fails in five.
Step, cover and back gutter. Code 4 or 5 lead to specification.
Dependent on valley length and accessibility.
Cheeks, apron and ridge depending on dormer type.
Full re-dress with correct falls and drip detail. Regency townhouses quoted on survey.
For properties within Stratford’s conservation zone, we carry the correct lead profiles and can advise on what Stratford-on-Avon District Council will and will not accept under permitted development versus listed building consent. All our lead work is documented with photographs before and after, which is useful for both planning records and insurance purposes.
Free quotes — no call-out fees — honest advice.
“Two chimney stacks fully re-leaded on a Grade II listed property in the Old Town. Impeccable work — every step flashing properly chased in, correct code 5 lead on the back gutter, and full photographic documentation for the planning file.”
“Had a lead valley liner failure on a rear dormer above the bedroom. They stripped it, found the underlap had also failed and replaced both correctly. Proper repair, not a patch job. The bedroom has been dry through two wet winters.”
“Parapet gutter on our Regency property was ponding badly and tracking into the top floor. They reformed the falls, renewed the drip detail and re-dressed the parapet properly. No more ponding and no more damp patches.”
Lead is the only material that properly conforms to the complex geometry of Victorian and Edwardian chimney stacks, dormer windows and parapet junctions found across Stratford. It is also the only material accepted in many areas of Stratford’s Old Town conservation zone and on listed buildings. Flashing cement and mortar-only repairs fail significantly faster than well-dressed lead and are not appropriate for heritage properties.
Lead correctly dressed and properly fixed to the roof structure lasts 50 to 70 years or more. Poorly fitted lead — particularly where it has not been properly wedged into a chase or has been dressed over an incompatible substrate — can fail in under ten years. The north-facing chimney stacks on Victorian properties along Evesham Road and Shipston Road that we replace most frequently have original lead that has simply reached the end of a long and honest service life.
We use code 4 lead for step and soaker flashings on standard pitched roof applications, and code 5 for back gutters, parapet gutters and any location where standing water or high-volume water flow is expected. On conservation and listed properties we always specify code 5 minimum. We carry BS EN 12588 certified lead from accredited UK manufacturers on every job.
Lead theft is a genuine concern on roofing jobs. We keep lead off the ground and unsecured at all times during installation. All cut and unused lead pieces are accounted for and disposed of or returned appropriately. For overnight scaffold situations we advise on covering lead valleys and parapet installations where theft risk is higher.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local Stratford roofer who turns up when they say they will.
01789 509542