Craftsmanship and attention to detail received their
just reward when the re-roofing of Shettleston New Parish Church in
Glasgow’s East End won the Roof Tiling category in the National Federation of
Roofing Contractors’ UK Roofing Awards.
The award was made to DM Roofing & Roughcasting,
working with BMI Redland – part of BMI UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest
manufacturer of flat and pitched roofing and waterproofing solutions.
Originally opened in 1904, the Grade B listed church
is a handsome Arts and Crafts style building with Art Nouveau detailing
characteristic of the work of the noted Scottish architect W. G. Rowan.
The roof – finished in clay tiles, unusually for
Scotland, rather than slate – had reached the end of its life, leading to water
ingress and rot.
With the Heritage Lottery Fund making a large
contribution towards the cost of the essential repairs; the architect in charge
of restoring Rowan’s legacy, Peter Drummond, initially specified an alternative
clay tile while DM Roofing lobbied to use BMI Redland’s Rosemary clay tile:
“We’re used to using the Redland tile and find them better to work with. They
give a sharper finish, which we think can be aesthetically superior for some
buildings”, explains director Michael McCabe.
“I agreed at once,” says Drummond. “BMI Redland are
respected manufacturer. In fact, Rosemary’s pretty much the go-to name,
especially when you want tiles for a restoration project”.
Two turrets, 14m and 3m tall, were the major
challenges in the project, even though they only accounted for 55m2 of the
488m2 roof area. When McCabe inspected the roof, he found that the pre-formed
arris hip tiles had been used originally were ‘specials’ and unavailable from
stock at the angle required for the turrets.
The tight re-roofing schedule meant that there was not
enough time for these to be made to order so DM Roofing replaced them with a
combination of Code 4 lead soakers and tiles that were individually mitred by
hand.
“Keeping the mitred joint straight over a 12m span was
a challenge and one that our roofers successfully overcame, carrying it out to
an excellent standard”, McCabe observes. The lead flat roof at the bottom of
the turrets proved another challenge because these areas had rotted so much
that the damage could be seen from inside the church. To remedy this, the team
reconfigured the sump detail to ensure this would not be an issue again.
The rest of the roof wasn’t without issues – as the
existing tile details had no battens, making it difficult to level the new
tiles with the old. As the interaction between the new tiles and stone barge
copes did not work, mock panels and level checks had to be done to ensure
the roof was both aesthetically pleasing and fit for purpose.
The first Rosemary plain clay tile was made back in
1838, the year of Queen Victoria’s coronation. Many of the tiles laid then are
still very much in evidence on buildings around the UK, which is why
contractors, architects and specifiers need contemporary versions to
match.
Some 175 years after that first Rosemary clay tile was
formed, BMI Redland launched its Rosemary Clay Craftsman range, designed to
give the look and feel of a handmade tile with all the strength and durability
of a modern-day one. Characteristics that give the Craftsman their beautifully
aged look include the textured surface, irregular distortions to the front edge
and varying hanging lengths.
Three versions of the Rosemary Clay Craftsman are
available: Hawkhurst and Albury, which have a fine orange-red sanding over the
surface and random black patterning to imitate a weathered look; and
the Victorian, which is darker and has a grittier texture.
Even though often used for restoration and
refurbishment projects, Rosemary Clay Craftsman tiles are also in demand for
new-build developments that are linked to conservation areas. A whole
host of compatible accessories and components means that the tiles can be
laid on a variety of roof configurations.
Unlike its Victorian counterpart, the latter-day
Rosemary Clay Craftsman Victorian, and the rest of the range, has undergone a
robust programme of testing, subjected to driving winds and high rains, whipped
up by BMI’s engineers in their wind tunnel. The tiles will meet all the
requirements of BS 5534: 2014 + A2: 2018 Code of Practice for Slating and
Tiling, providing they are installed in compliance with Redland fixing
recommendations.
