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Roofers in Donnington

Donnington sits on the flat coastal plain south of Chichester, with the canal running through it and a conservation area of brick, flint and clay tile around Selsey Road and Pelleys Lane.

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Where Donnington's roofs meet the weather

  • A clay tile roof and chimney

    Clay tile and slate in the conservation area

    The council's appraisal lists thatch, clay tiles and some slate as roofing in the conservation area. On tile and slate we look for slipped courses, cracked tiles and failed flashing, the lead strip that seals the roof where it meets a chimney or wall.

  • Rendered wall meeting a roof

    Red brick, render and flint walls

    Walls here are red brick, Roman cement render and knapped flint, according to the appraisal. Where a roof edge meets render, a cracked finish can let rain run behind the flashing, so we check the wall as well as the roof.

  • Moss on a shaded roof

    Roofs by the Chichester Canal

    The Chichester Canal runs through Donnington, across flat ground just south of the city. Roofs close to water and trees can stay damp for longer, so moss, blocked gutters and shaded slopes come early on our checklist.

Street map of Donnington, west of central Worthing, with a pin on the town.

Designations around Donnington roofs

Planning authority
Chichester District Council
Councils
Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council
Conservation area
Donnington Conservation Area, designated June 1976, based on part of Selsey Road and Pelleys Lane
Article 4
No direction listed for Donnington on the council's download list
Notable building
Donnington Manor House, dated 1677, red brick on stone foundations
From central Worthing
23.6 road miles, west, about 33 minutes by car

Donnington roofs

Between the canal and Selsey Road

The older buildings and the low ground by the water raise different roofing questions, and each is taken in turn here.

Chapter one

Tile and slate roofs around Selsey Road

The conservation area's brick walls carry clay tile and some slate, so repairs begin with matching what is already on the roof.

A roof repair in a conservation area starts with a plain question: what is on the roof now, and what would match it? Donnington's character appraisal, written by the district council in 2012, names thatch, clay tiles and some slate for the roofs, with red brick, Roman cement render and knapped flint on the walls. That list makes a survey straightforward. A slate roof and a clay tile roof next door to each other can age at very different rates, so we never judge one house by its neighbour. We photograph each slope, note the size, colour and texture of the tiles or slates, and decide whether sound salvaged material can do the repair or whether new covering has to be chosen to sit beside the old.

At a glance

  • The appraisal lists thatch, clay tile and some slate
  • Lead flashing seals roofs to chimneys and walls
  • Since BS 5534's 2014 revision, ridges are mechanically fixed
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet

1.1 Where tile and slate roofs let go

Clay tiles hook over the battens, the slim timber laths nailed across the rafters, and are nailed in at intervals. Frost can flake the face of an old tile, nails corrode, and a slipped tile leaves the batten beneath open to the rain. Slate fails differently: the nail rusts through and the slate slides a few inches, then drops. From the ground both show as a gap, or a course that no longer runs straight. The worst trouble is usually at a junction. A valley is the fold where two slopes meet, and when it splits, water runs into the roof timbers well away from the stain on the ceiling, which is why we trace a leak from the loft before we quote.

Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet

1.2 Ridges, chimneys and wall edges

The ridge is the top line where two slopes meet. Until the 2014 revision of BS 5534, a bed of mortar was commonly accepted as the only thing holding ridge and hip tiles on; now each tile is also clipped or screwed down into the timber beneath. Ridge tiles that have kept their shape are lifted, re-bedded and fixed again, and if they have cracked our ridge tile repairs page sets out the choices. Brick chimneys need a look too. Flaunching, the sloping mortar bed that holds the pots, cracks in frost, and the lead flashing around the stack can lift; our chimney repairs page covers both. Where a roof edge meets a rendered wall, a cracked finish can let rain run behind the lead, so we check the wall as well as the roof. A hairline crack in render is a small job now and a damp wall later.

Chapter two

St George's church and Donnington Manor House

A rebuilt medieval church, a 1677 manor house and a thatched timber-framed cottage share one conservation area, so consent comes first.

Street of 1930s hipped bungalows with clay tile roofs near the coast
Street of 1930s hipped bungalows with clay tile roofs near the coast

St George's church was rebuilt in the 13th century and given its tower in the 16th, according to the Victoria County History, and a fire in 1939 seriously damaged the nave and aisles. A building with that history has been through several rounds of roof repair, and the covering you see today may hold work from more than one period. When we look at a roof like that we record what is there before we recommend anything: tile sizes, the lead at the junctions, any patch repairs in a different material, and how sound the rafters and battens are.

At a glance

  • St George's was rebuilt in the 13th century
  • A fire in 1939 damaged the nave and aisles
  • The conservation area has eight listed buildings

2.1 The church and its faculty

St George's is the parish church of the Church of England, and under the ecclesiastical exemption an Anglican church still used for worship takes its repair approvals from the Church's own faculty process, not from the council's listed building consent. That route is for the parish and its advisers to run, and a contractor works to their instructions. Once a church closes, the exemption ends, which is a different position again. An old roof next to a churchyard may hold a bat roost or a nest, and both are protected, so the loft is checked before any stripping starts.

2.2 Houses, matching materials and consent

The appraisal counts eight listed buildings inside the conservation area, so a house on or near Selsey Road may well be one. Check its list entry before any work starts. The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 asks for listed building consent before anyone alters the character of a listed building, so a repair in different materials can need it, while prudent maintenance in matching materials usually does not. If you are unsure, ask the district council's conservation team and send them our survey photographs. Donnington Manor House, dated 1677 and built of red brick on stone foundations, shows why matching matters: the roof over that brickwork should look as though it belongs. New openings in a roof slope follow separate rules inside a conservation area, set out in our roof planning permission guide.

2.3 Weight on an old frame

Weight matters on an old building. Under the Planning Portal guidance, building control approval is needed when a new covering increases the roof's weight by 15 per cent or more. Taylor's Cottage, the oldest house the appraisal names, is a 16th-century timber-framed building with brick infilling, and on a frame like that we would want a structural opinion before swapping a lighter covering for a heavier one.

Checking a listed roof before repair

  1. Check status Look up the list entry and ask the district council's conservation team whether consent applies.
  2. Photograph Every slope, junction and earlier patch is recorded before anything is touched.
  3. Match Tiles, slates and lead are chosen to copy the covering already beside the repair.
  4. Quote The written quote follows once the survey photographs show what the work involves.

Chapter three

Moss, gutters and damp near the canal

Flat ground, water and trees keep some roofs damp, and a damp roof grows moss that holds more water.

Donnington is low, flat country, and the Chichester Canal runs through the village. Nobody should read much into a map, but a roof that sits near water, or under trees, often stays wet for longer after a shower. Moss is the visible result. It soaks up rain like a sponge, keeps the tile face wet, and in winter the frozen water can lift the edge of a tile. Leaves and seed from overhanging trees settle in valleys and gutters and keep them damp as well. Moss is also a prompt to ask how old the covering is: MyBuilder says clay tiles need replacing after 40 to 60 years, so a heavily mossed roof of that age may be telling you something else. Moss thick enough to dam a valley, the fold between two slopes, sends water sideways under the tiles and into the roof timbers.

At a glance

  • Moss holds water against tiles and valleys
  • Blocked gutters push water behind fascias
  • Check any quote for scaffolding and VAT

3.1 Cleaning without damage

Moss comes off two ways. Scraping and brushing by hand is slow but kind to the tile. A pressure washer is quicker, but MyBuilder cautions that delicate tiles can be marked by it, and older clay may have a softened face that a hard jet will strip. We look at the tile first and choose the method to suit it. Cleaning also shows what was hidden: cracked tiles, failed pointing at the ridge, flashing that has lifted. Our roof cleaning and moss removal page explains what a clean covers and what it cannot cure.

3.2 Gutters and the roofline

A gutter that cannot drain pushes water back behind the fascia board, where it rots the rafter ends. Manufacturers typically recommend a gentle fall towards the outlet, roughly 1:600 to 1:350 depending on the system, and brackets no more than 900 mm apart. A sagging run is often a bracket problem and not a gutter problem. MyBuilder puts the usual replacement cycle for uPVC fascias and soffits at 10 to 20 years, so a rotten board on a newer house points to water that has been going in for a long time. When the job ends the site is left clear and the waste leaves with us. Whoever you ask for a price, check that the quote says whether scaffolding and VAT are in it.

Typical UK roof cleaning costs

  • Flat roof£300 to £600
  • Tile roof£400 to £750
  • Pitched roof£450 to £850
  • Slate roof£500 to £1,000

These are national guide ranges, not our prices; the written quote for your roof comes after we have seen it. Source: MyBuilder roof cleaning price guide, updated 21/08/2026.

Services for roofs around Donnington

Donnington questions about tiles, consent and damp

Can an old clay tile roof near the Chichester Canal be cleaned safely?

Usually yes, if the method suits the tile. Because a hard jet can mark delicate clay, on older roofs we start with hand scraping and brushing and keep any water use gentle. We also look at the tile face and the pointing first, because cleaning a roof that is already failing only shows the faults. Any broken tiles or loose ridge sections are repaired before the clean is judged finished.

Does the Donnington Conservation Area change how I repair a tiled roof?

A straight swap of old covering for matching new covering is not normally development, but the material you pick should sit comfortably beside the old. The conservation area dates from June 1976 and the council's list shows no Article 4 direction for Donnington. A listed house is different: a change of material may need listed building consent, so check the list entry and ask the district council's planning team first.

Whose permission does a roof repair at St George's church need?

An Anglican church still used for worship is covered by the ecclesiastical exemption, so approval comes through the Church's faculty process and not the council's listed building consent. The parish works through its own advisers, and a contractor takes instructions from them. The position changes if the church closes, because the exemption then ends. For ordinary houses nearby, the council's rules are the ones to check.

Is mortar still used on ridge tiles in Donnington?

Yes, but it no longer works alone. Since BS 5534 was revised in 2014, each bedded ridge or hip tile also gets a clip or screw into the timber. Mortar is not banned and still gives a neat finish in a conservation area, so we often re-bed the original tiles on mortar and add the mechanical fixing beneath. A dry-fix ridge is the other route, tested to BS 8612:2018.

Roofers near Donnington

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