Whickham sits on high ground looking north over the Tyne valley, about five miles south-west of Newcastle. It began as a farming and coal-mining village, and once the shallow seams were worked out in the 18th century, wealthier families moved in and built substantial houses, and by the late 18th century the village was being described as modern and handsome. Since the First World War it has grown steadily as a commuter town.
The result is a place of two halves for roofing purposes: an old core of sandstone buildings with pantiled and slate roofs, surrounded by estates from the 1950s onwards. Newcastle Roofs repairs and replaces roofs across Whickham, from a few slipped pantiles to a full re-roof, with no call-out charge and a free written quote.
The village core on Front Street
Whickham's conservation area was designated in 1974 and follows the line of the historic village, taking in Front Street, Church Chare, School Lane and The Square, and reaching out to Dunston Hill House, built in 1740. Narrow lanes, old walls and mature trees give it a character quite different from the estates around it.
Most of the older buildings are sandstone, and their roofs are generally pantiled. Some have been re-covered over the years; Jasmine Villas on Front Street, for example, now carry Welsh slate with substantial stone chimneys, although the roofs may originally have been pantiled. A simple row of brick cottages stands on the south side of Church Chare, and late 19th-century miners' terraces sit at the western end.
If your home is in the conservation area, check with Gateshead Council before changing the roof covering, altering a chimney or adding roof windows on a slope that faces the street.
Looking after a pantiled roof
Clay pantiles are a traditional covering across the North East, and Whickham's older buildings use them widely. Their S-shaped profile sheds water well on a simple pitched roof, but they need some understanding to maintain.
- Pantiles are lighter than slate, so failed fixings or mortar can let strong winds lift them.
- Older pantile roofs were often laid without underlay, with the gaps pointed or torched from inside, and that mortar crumbles with age.
- Ridges, verges and the joints against chimneys and gable walls are the usual weak points.
Replacing broken pantiles with matching clay tiles keeps both the weatherproofing and the look of the roof. Concrete substitutes are heavier and look different, which matters on a historic building. Where a whole roof needs stripping, sound tiles can often be set aside and reused, with new or reclaimed ones making up the shortfall.
Stone chimneys and sandstone details
Older stone houses in Whickham often have substantial sandstone chimney stacks, like those on Jasmine Villas. Sandstone weathers gradually, and the joints between stones open up as mortar is washed out. When that happens, rain soaks into the stack and appears as damp patches on chimney breasts inside.
Repairing these chimneys usually involves raking out and repointing joints with a mortar that suits soft stone, re-bedding loose pots, renewing the flaunching on top and fitting new lead flashings where the stack passes through the roof. A hard cement mortar can trap moisture and speed up decay of the stone, so we choose materials with care.
If a stack is no longer in use, it is still worth keeping it sound and capping the pots properly with ventilated caps, rather than leaving it to deteriorate.
1950s estates and later homes
Whickham expanded quickly after the war. The Lakes Estate was built in the 1950s off Whickham Highway, followed later that decade by the Oakfield Estate off Whaggs Lane, and more private housing has been added in stages since. Many of these homes are semi-detached or detached, with concrete tiles, timber or uPVC fascias, and garages or extensions with flat roofs.
On houses from the 1950s and 1960s, the original felt underlay is often brittle and torn, particularly at the eaves. Tiles may still look fine from the ground while the felt beneath has failed, which shows up as damp patches in the loft after driving rain. Flat roofs on garages and extensions are another frequent source of leaks once the felt cracks.
Typical work includes replacing slipped tiles, re-bedding ridges, renewing fascias, soffits and guttering, and replacing felt flat roofs with EPDM or GRP fibreglass. If the roof as a whole is tired, we can quote for a new roof with modern breathable underlay.
Weather on the hill
Standing on high, open ground above the valley, many Whickham homes are more exposed to the wind than houses lower down in the valley. Ridge and verge mortar, chimney flashings and gutter brackets all work harder as a result. A quick look at the roof after a storm, and clearing gutters each autumn, will catch most problems early.
Inside, loft insulation helps keep a hilltop house warm, provided the eaves are left clear so the roof can breathe. We fit loft insulation and boarding with ventilation in mind.
When you get in touch, we arrange a visit, look at the roof from outside and from the loft, and talk you through what we have found. The written quote follows, setting out the work, the materials and how access will be handled, so you can compare it with confidence.
