Leadwork in Gloucester
Chimney flashings, soakers, valleys, bay roofs and the hidden parapet gutters behind Gloucester’s terrace fronts — dressed in code lead, fixed properly, and left to move as lead needs to.
Leadwork jobs we carry out
Chimney flashings
Stepped flashings, back gutters and aprons around stacks. The Kingsholm conservation area appraisal picks out the tall, repeated chimney stacks of Connaught Parade — and every stack like that has flashings to keep sound.
Parapet and box gutters
Where a roof slope ends behind a front parapet, a lead-lined gutter takes the water. The London Road and Kingsholm appraisals both describe roofs hidden behind parapets. When these fail, the leak appears inside, not outside.
Valleys
Open lead valleys where two slopes meet, laid in lengths with proper laps and fixings so they do not creep.
Abutments and soakers
Where a slate or tile roof meets a wall, soakers under each course and a cover flashing above keep water out.
Bay window roofs
Many Victorian and Edwardian bays have lead tops or lead-dressed hips. Cracking is common where old lead was laid in too-long pieces.
Dormer cheeks and tops
Lead-clad dormers on older houses, and the detailing around newer ones.
How we lay lead
Lead lasts a long time when it is laid in the right thickness and in pieces short enough to expand and contract without tearing. Most early failures we see come from lead that was too thin, laid in long runs, nailed where it should have been clipped, or sealed with mastic instead of being chased into the mortar joint.
We work to the Lead Sheet Training Academy’s guidance on codes and piece sizes, fix with copper or stainless clips, wedge and re-point flashings into joints, and treat new lead with patination oil so it does not stain the brickwork below.
In the conservation areas — and particularly in the Article 4 areas at Southgate Street and St Michael’s Square — lead is the right material for these details. We will not swap it for a plastic or felt substitute where lead belongs.
Things worth knowing
A parapet gutter leak can look like a slate problem
Water from a blocked or split parapet gutter often shows up as damp at the top of the front bedroom wall. We check the gutter before anything else.
Lead theft
Lead on low or easily reached roofs can be a target. Where that is a real risk we can discuss alternatives for those specific locations, honestly.
Mastic is not a repair
A bead of sealant over a lifted flashing might stop a drip for a season. It is not how we fix it.
Old lead can often be kept
Not every lead detail needs replacing. Sound lead can be re-dressed and re-wedged.
From your call to a signed-off roof
You call or send a message
Ring 0800 494 7291 or use the quote form. Tell us the street and what you have seen — a stain, a slipped slate, a drip in the loft.
Free site visit
We look from the ground and, where it is safe, from the roof itself. You get photos of what we found, not just a verdict.
Fixed written quote
One price, in writing, saying what will be done and what it will be done with. No call-out charge for the visit.
The work, photographed
We photograph the roof before, during and after, so you can see the parts you will never see from the street.
Guarantee paperwork
Qualifying work is covered by our 20 year written guarantee, handed over when the job is signed off.
Get your free, no-obligation roof quote
Tell us the street, the type of house and what you have noticed. We will come out, get up on the roof, photograph what we find and put a fixed price in writing.