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Roofers in Lavant

Lavant lies on the southern slopes of the Downs, with the river running through the village between Mid and East Lavant. We survey its flint cottages, church roofs and village houses.

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Flint cottages, thatch and the downland slope

  • A tiled roof beside a flint wall

    Flint cottages in East Lavant

    The Victoria County History records an East Lavant house with walls of split flints and 17th-century brick quoins, the corner dressings.

    Read more about Flint cottages in East Lavant

    At the foot of a flint chimney or beside a flint gable, the lead flashing, the stack and the verge call for a close look.

  • Old cottages with mixed roof coverings

    Thatched and timber-framed neighbours

    East Lavant has an early 17th-century timber-framed cottage under thatch, and a plastered flint cottage, also thatched, says the same history.

    Read more about Thatched and timber-framed neighbours

    Roofs next to buildings that old take their details from the older walls.

  • Tiled roofs on a downland slope

    Downland slope and river valley

    The parish lies on the southern slopes of the Downs towards Chichester, and the River Lavant flows through it from north to south.

    Read more about Downland slope and river valley

    A house high on the slope and one low in the valley meet the weather differently.

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

Mid and East Lavant: planning records

Planning authority
South Downs National Park Authority
Councils
Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council
Conservation area
Mid & East Lavant Conservation Area
Article 4
None listed for Lavant by the South Downs National Park Authority
Listed example
Church of St Mary, East Lavant, Grade I, roofed with tile
From central Worthing
23.4 road miles, west, about 37 minutes by car

Lavant roofs

Flint, tile and the Lavant valley

What the Downs, the river and Lavant's old walls mean for the roofs in between.

Chapter one

Flint walls, brick corners and cottage roofs

Beside a flint wall the roof is sealed with lead, and the lead details decide whether an old cottage stays dry.

The Victoria County History, writing in 1953, describes East Lavant's older buildings in some detail. One house has walls of split flints with brick quoins, the corner dressings, from the 17th century. Close by are an early 17th-century timber-framed cottage under a thatched roof and a second thatched cottage of plastered flint or rubble. Flint is hard and irregular, so a roof abutting a flint wall must be sealed to a face that was never cut square. The seal is lead flashing, a strip of metal bent over the junction, and the quality of that strip, and of the pointing it is tucked into, decides whether the room beside the chimney stays dry.

At a glance

  • East Lavant has houses of split flint
  • Brick quoins there date from the 17th century
  • Code 4 lead is the usual choice for flashings
Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards
Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards

1.1 Lead into flint

A flashing is held by turning its top edge into a joint in the wall and wedging it there. On flint the joints are wide and uneven, so the old mortar around lead tends to fail first, and water tracks down behind the strip. The cure we favour is to cut the joint back, fit fresh lead and point it again; a smear of sealant on top only masks the gap for a season. Photographs of the cracked pointing and the gap behind the lead go with the quote, since the top edge of a flashing can sit loose while the strip below it looks sound from the lane. Lead is graded by code. Leadworx says code 4 has become the standard for general flashings, with thinner code 3 reserved for soakers, small bent lead pieces that lie under each tile course against a wall. Our lead roofing page goes through the codes.

Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards
Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards

1.2 Stacks and verges

Brick chimney stacks on cottage gables take the full force of the weather. We check the pointing, the flaunching, which is the mortar slope around the pots, and the flashing at the base. The verge is the gable-end margin of the roof, and under BS 5534 the tiles around a roof's perimeter are fixed twice, Marley notes, not left to mortar alone. A stack that is losing mortar from its upper joints can often be repointed, and MyBuilder gives £500 to £2,000 for chimney repointing as a typical UK range. Where a stack leans or its brickwork has eroded, rebuilding is the better answer, and our chimney repairs page explains when that point is reached.

Leadwork facts for a flint cottage

Code 3, 1.32 mm
Soakers and light duty
Code 4, 1.80 mm
The usual choice for general flashings
Code 5, 2.24 mm
General, vertical and pitched work
Flashing lifespan
Over 80 years, and over 100 for higher codes
Patch repair, typical UK
£150 to £250

Source: Leadworx; MyJobQuote (22/09/26)

Chapter two

Two village churches, a conservation area and the Park

St Mary and St Nicholas are both tile-roofed, and Lavant sits inside the National Park, so consent questions come early.

Old clay tile roof over a flint wall in a downland village
Old clay tile roof over a flint wall in a downland village

Lavant has two parish churches, and the Victoria County History records both as roofed with tile. That history adds that East Lavant's church of St Mary is built of rubble, with a 17th-century tower of chalk rubble faced with brick, and the national heritage list gives it Grade I. Mid Lavant's church of St Nicholas is flint rubble with ashlar dressings. An Anglican church in use falls under the ecclesiastical exemption, so roof work at St Mary goes through the Church's own approval process, not through the council. If a church closes for worship, that exemption ends and the normal listed building controls apply. In a village this old, the question of what a building is comes before the question of what a repair costs.

At a glance

  • St Mary, East Lavant, is Grade I listed
  • Both village churches are roofed with tile
  • Lavant lies inside the South Downs National Park

2.1 The conservation area and the National Park

Lavant is inside the South Downs National Park and has a Mid & East Lavant conservation area. The two halves were separate parishes until they were joined for civil purposes in 1872 and for church purposes in 1880, so an old deed or listing may name Mid or East Lavant on its own. The National Park Authority's Article 4 page lists no direction for Lavant. Swapping like for like, tile for matching tile, generally sits outside planning control, and Park status does not alter that. New roof features such as dormers follow rules of their own, which our roof planning permission guide covers. On who to ask, the Authority's planning pages list Chichester among the areas where you contact the district council, so a call to the Chichester District Council planning team is the sensible first step.

2.2 Listed houses and old roofs

On a listed house the position is different. Authority guidance draws the line between routine upkeep, which needs no listed building consent, and work that changes or fully renews old fabric where it bears on the building's character, which does. A covering of a different kind therefore sits firmly in consent territory, and we photograph and record the existing tiles before anything is lifted. Before the quote is accepted, the council's conservation officer is the person to consult, and we can supply our photographs and a note of the materials now on the roof for that purpose, which also helps the council judge what matching means. Bats and nesting birds in old Lavant roofs are under legal protection, so the eaves and ridge are checked for them before stripping.

What people sayLiving inside a National Park means a house cannot be re-roofed.

What is truePutting back a matching covering is ordinary upkeep as far as planning goes, in the Park as elsewhere; listing is the point to check.

Chapter three

Roofs on the Downs slope and in the valley

Lavant's houses sit on the Downs' southern slopes and along the river, and a repair has to suit the site as well as the street.

Lavant parish lies on the southern slopes of the Downs towards Chichester, and the River Lavant flows through it from north to south, according to the Victoria County History. A house on the valley floor and one higher on the slope face different conditions, so a roof is fixed to suit its site rather than its street. A roof pitched under 30 degrees has its windward side exposed to heavy uplift, Marley warns, and Wienerberger adds that tile fixings follow a schedule worked out plot by plot, taking in its position, its altitude and its exposure. On a re-roof we put your address to the tile maker and work from what comes back.

At a glance

  • The parish lies on the Downs' southern slopes
  • The River Lavant flows from north to south
  • Clay tile was given a 60-year minimum life
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet

3.1 How long a tile roof has left

Marley reports that Building Research Establishment work gave clay tiles a minimum life expectancy of 60 years, while MyBuilder puts clay-tile replacement at 40 to 60 years. The Building Conservation Directory cautions that, for historic peg-tile roofs, that 60-year number cannot be trusted as a yardstick. A roof in a village like Lavant may be older than any published test, so we judge it by its condition: whether the nails and battens are sound, whether the tiles ring or crumble, whether the underlay has perished. A cracked tile can often be replaced singly, matched for size, colour and camber to its neighbours, since a roof patched with odd tiles shows from the lane. Where one slope has failed and the other is sound, we repair the failed one and leave the other alone.

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

3.2 Heritage roofs, weight and the thermal layer

Marley points out that the 2018 amendment to BS 5534 accepts its guidance might not fit heritage roofs and urges contact with the planning authority and conservation specialists, so on an old roof in the conservation area we bring them in early. The Planning Portal puts the Building Regulations line for re-covering at less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof, with approval also needed for a covering that adds 15 per cent or more in weight. Part L can bring a thermal upgrade with a larger re-roof. Our roof replacement page follows a full re-cover from strip to finish.

How long tile and slate roofs are reported to last

CoveringReported life
Clay tileAt least 60 years in the Building Research Establishment finding; replaced after 40 to 60 years (MyBuilder)
Old peg-tile roofsThe 60-year figure cannot be relied on
Concrete tileOften 30 to 60 years
Natural slate80 to 100 years or more when well installed
Source: Marley; MyBuilder slate roof cost (21/08/2026); Building Conservation Directory

Roofing services for Lavant's cottages and houses

Questions on Lavant flint, tile and the National Park

How is lead flashing repaired where a roof meets an East Lavant flint wall?

We rake out the failed mortar joint, set new lead into it and re-point, instead of smearing sealant along the top edge. Flint joints are wide and uneven, so the old pointing usually breaks first. Code 4 is the usual weight for a general flashing, and the photographs we send show the split or gap we found, so you see the fault and the fix on your own wall.

Is a house in Mid or East Lavant covered by an Article 4 direction?

The South Downs National Park Authority's Article 4 page lists none for Lavant, though the village has a Mid & East Lavant conservation area. Putting back matching tiles counts as upkeep rather than a planning matter. A listed house is different, as is any switch of material, so put the question to the Chichester District Council planning team first and keep their reply with our survey photographs.

When does an old Lavant tile roof stop being worth repairing?

Age alone does not decide it. Marley reports a 60-year minimum life for clay tiles from Building Research Establishment work, MyBuilder expects replacement after 40 to 60 years, and the Building Conservation Directory warns the figure is unreliable for old peg-tile roofs. We look at nails, battens and underlay. If faults sit in one place, we repair; if the fixings have failed across the roof, we recommend a re-cover.

Which council decides roof changes in Lavant, given the National Park?

Lavant lies inside the South Downs National Park, and the Authority that runs it handles planning policy for the Park. Its general enquiries page lists Chichester among the areas where you contact your own council, so start with the Chichester District Council planning team and ask which body deals with your address. Building Regulations work for a re-roof goes to building control or a registered building control approver.

Roofers near Lavant

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