Coxlodge grew up around a colliery, and its housing still tells that story. Miners' cottages went up through the 19th century, council houses followed after the First World War, and after 1945 many of the old cottages were cleared for further council building. Much of the housing today dates from those two council-building eras, and only a few rows of the later cottages survive.
That mix shapes the roofing work we see. Ridge mortar, worn concrete tiles, tired fascias and leaking flat roofs over rear kitchens come up far more often than ornate period detail. Newcastle Roofs repairs and renews roofs right across Coxlodge, and we will always tell you whether a repair will do or whether the covering has genuinely reached the end of its life.
From pit village to council suburb
Coal was being worked here by the 1750s, and Coxlodge Colliery was developed in 1809 and 1810 by Matthew Bell and Charles John Brandling. It had three pits: the Bower Pit, the Jubilee Pit on Jubilee Road, and the Regent Pit, whose site is now taken up by the Regent Centre business park and St Charles' school beside the Metro. The colliery closed in 1894, and spoil from the pit heap was later used to build the runway at Newcastle Airport.
With the pits gone, Coxlodge became largely residential. The council estates that replaced the cottages give the area its present look. Council housing of those periods was typically built as semis and short terraces with gardens, under simple pitched roofs.
Roof problems typical of council-built homes
Houses from the inter-war and post-war council programmes were built solidly but plainly, and most have been re-covered or patched at least once in their lives. When we inspect one, these are the usual suspects:
- Ridge and hip tiles bedded in mortar that has cracked and washed out, leaving tiles loose or rocking in strong wind.
- Concrete tiles that have lost their surface, gathered moss or slipped because nibs or fixings have failed.
- Verges at the gable ends where the mortar has fallen away, letting wind drive rain under the edge tiles.
- Chimney stacks no longer in use, still standing above the roof with failing pointing and flashings.
- Fascias and soffits in original timber that have rotted behind the guttering.
Many of these can be put right without re-roofing. A dry ridge or dry verge system, for example, replaces mortar with mechanical fixings that do not need repointing. Where only a handful of tiles have cracked, matching replacements can usually be slotted in without disturbing the rest of the slope.
Ex-council semis: who owns which half of the roof?
If your house was bought from the council at some point, the one next door may still be rented from the council or a housing association. The roof is continuous across both, so work on your side can affect theirs, particularly at the ridge, the party wall line and any shared chimney stack.
Before we start on a semi or mid-terrace, it helps to know who owns the neighbouring property. If it is a social landlord, they may want to be told about scaffolding or work near the boundary. We can photograph the joint between the two roofs before and after the job, so everyone can see the neighbouring side has been left sound.
If you are thinking of replacing the roof covering entirely, talk to your neighbour first. Two halves in different tiles will still keep the weather out, but matching profiles and colours look far better and make the joint easier to weather properly.
Flat roofs over kitchens, porches and garages
Plenty of Coxlodge homes have been extended at the back or side, and those extensions are often covered with a flat roof. Older felt roofs tend to fail at the edges and around upstands first, where the felt is dressed up against the house wall. Blisters, splits and ponding water are other warning signs.
When a flat roof is beyond repair, we usually recommend replacing it with EPDM rubber or a fibreglass (GRP) system. Both are laid as a continuous membrane with no joints for water to find. While the old covering is off, it is also the moment to check the deck boards for rot and to add insulation if the room below is cold.
The older buildings on the edge of Coxlodge
Not everything here is 20th century. A few rows of later miners' cottages survive, and the St Nicholas Hospital site close by is one of Newcastle's twelve conservation areas, designated in 1991. Its original hospital block of 1867 and its 1896 recreation hall are both Grade II listed, and several of the Victorian buildings there were built in stone from the Kenton quarry.
If your home is one of the surviving older cottages, the roof may be slate rather than tile, and the repair approach changes accordingly: matching slate, lead soakers at the stack and careful work around old timbers. Tell us the age of the property when you get in touch, and we will come prepared for what we are likely to find.
