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ENGLISH HERITAGE TRANSACTIONS VOLUME 9: STONE ROOFING.
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Search the images in the chapter Stone roofing in England
Saving England's Stone Slate Roofs Susan McDonald, Terry Hughes, Chris Wood, Pat Strange. A model for the revival and enhancement of the stone slate roofing industry in the South Pennines
 
 
Stone slates create a highly regionalised roofing form that is fundamental to the distinctive local character of vernacular buildings in many parts of the country. Declining supplies of new stone slates and the use of imported or artificial substitutes have gradually eroded this vernacular roofing tradition, placing these distinctive landscapes under threat. Meanwhile, the conservation requirement, that repairs to historic stone slate roofs on listed buildings be carried out on a like-for-like basis, has fuelled the market for salvaged stone slates and, in some cases, encouraged the unnecessary and unscrupulous stripping of other historic buildings in the locality.
Recognising that action was needed to secure the future of the stone slate roofing tradition, English Heritage joined forces with the Peak Park Joint Planning Board and Derbyshire County Council to carry out research into the revival and enhancement of the stone slate roofing industry in the South Pennines. The research was intended to act as a model which could be applied to other regions with a stone slate tradition, or which faced similar problems with other scarce historic building materials. This chapter describes the work carried out to date and makes recommendations for the future.
Excerpts
Stone Roofing in England Terry Hughes.
 
 
Following the study of the stone slate industry and market in the South Pennines, the situation for the rest of England was researched. The historical sources of stone slates and their geology are reviewed and the challenges to the continued regeneration of stone slate delving are discussed. The current state of supply and demand in the conservation of stone slated buildings is assessed.
Since publication, some errors and addtitional information have come to light
Excerpts
Sourcing new stone-slates and re-roofing the nave of Pitchford Church, Shropshire Chris Wood, Terry Hughes. The stages of work and decisions that culminated in the re-roofing of the nave of St Michael’s & All Angels Church, Pitchford, Shropshire, in a mixture of existing and new Harnage stone-slates, in accordance with English Heritage policy.
 
 
English Heritage has been campaigning to try to rejuvenate the stone slate industry, particularly in regions which now lack a supply of new material. The aim of the campaign is to reverse today’s dependence on inappropriate substitutes such as artificial slates, stone imported from other parts of the UK and abroad or the use of salvaged or cannibalized local material. This paper describes the decisions and actions that were taken to procure a new supply prior to the re-roofing of the nave of Pitchford Church, Shropshire, where the local Harnage stone had not been produced for over 50 years. The project was implemented against a background of strategic research on stone-slating and included documentary research on the roof and the stone, finding a source of new material and estimating the costs of production, obtaining consents, deciding the method of procurement, surveying the failed roof and detailing and completing the new covering. The church has been successfully re-roofed and lessons have been learned that may help others wanting to resuscitate former local roofing industries.
Excerpts
Now that Transactions 9: Stone Roofing is published the images, together with about 50 extras, have been posted on this site in a searchable form. 
Published in September 2003, Price £30.00, Stone Roofing can be purchased from Gillards 
ISBN 1 902916 32 8 PRODUCT CODE 50749
English Heritage Postal Sales, c\o Gillards, Trident Works, Temple Cloud, Bristol BS39 5AZ. 
Tel: +44 (0) 1761-452966 (24 hours) Fax: +44 (0) 1761-453408.
 
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