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Roofers in Maresfield

Maresfield stands on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest, its brick houses under clay tile and its church porch under Horsham stone. We survey these roofs closely and show you what we find.

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Maresfield roofs: clay tile, Horsham stone and forest edge

  • A hipped clay tile roof

    Clay tile over brick

    Wealden's draft appraisal describes the village core as two-storey brick buildings, some painted or rendered, under hipped or gabled clay tile roofs.

    Read more about Clay tile over brick

    Hips and gable ends are where tiles loosen first.

  • A Horsham stone slab roof

    Horsham stone at the church porch

    The Grade I church of St Bartholomew has a north porch roofed in Horsham stone slate. Horsham slates are heavy sandstone slabs, graded in size up the roof, and a repair works best when it reuses the roof's own stone.

  • A tiled roof under trees

    Forest edge and plateau

    The village stands on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest, in the High Weald, on a plateau above the Shortbridge Stream valley.

    Read more about Forest edge and plateau

    Trees close by drop leaves and needles onto roofs and into gutters.

Street map of Maresfield, north-east of central Worthing, with a pin on the town.

What the map says about Maresfield

Planning authority
Wealden District Council
Councils
Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council
Conservation area
Maresfield Conservation Area (designated 1992, re-designated with a larger boundary in March 2017)
Listed examples
St Bartholomew's Church, Grade I; the Chequers Inn, Grade II*
Landscape
High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the edge of Ashdown Forest
From central Worthing
29.2 road miles, north-east, about 45 minutes by car

Maresfield roofs

Clay, stone and forest on the Maresfield plateau

A coaching-road village with an ironworking past asks three things of a roof: fixings, stone and drainage.

Chapter one

Clay tile hips and gables in the village core

Brick walls, painted or rendered, carry hipped and gabled clay tile roofs, and the seams of those roofs are where wear shows.

Wealden District Council's draft appraisal for the Maresfield Conservation Area describes the domestic buildings in the village core as two storeys and brick-built, painted and rendered in several instances, with hipped or gabled clay tile roofs. Each shape wears in its own way. A gabled roof ends at a wall, with a verge, the sloping edge of tiles beside the end gable, where wind works at the border. A hipped roof has no gable wall at all; a hip runs down every corner, and each of those diagonals is another long seam of ridge tiles whose bedding and fixings need to stay sound. We count cracked and slipped tiles slope by slope on a survey, then photograph each fault so you can compare what we say with what is on your own roof.

At a glance

  • The draft appraisal describes hipped or gabled clay tile roofs
  • Hips and verges carry the most exposed seams
  • Bedded tiles now need fixings as well
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet
Lead-lined valley where two clay-tiled roof slopes meet

1.1 Hips, verges and what holds them

Ridge and hip tiles that were once left to their mortar bed are now expected to be held by fixings as well. That has been the position of BS 5534 since its 2014 revision, and the mortar-free alternative, a dry-fix ridge built to BS 8612:2018, clips to a ventilated roll along the top of the roof. Neither route suits every roof. Mortar-bedded ridges tend to show their age first as hairline cracks and dark staining on the tiles beside them. On a clay roof with a good mortar bed, we may clean it, re-bed it and add the fixings. Where the bedding has failed along most of its length, a dry-fix ridge can be the neater answer. Our ridge tile repairs page sets out the choice, with typical national costs.

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

1.2 Brick, paint and render at the roof edge

Where a roof meets painted or rendered brick, the weak point is rarely the tile itself. Render cracks open as the wall moves, and paint can hide a damp patch until it has soaked deep. At the abutment, the junction where a slope meets a wall, a lead flashing dressed into the brick keeps the water out, and when it lifts, rain tracks behind it and appears inside, often well away from the junction. We follow a stain uphill before blaming the covering, then check the chimney flashings, the gable-end tiles and the render line above the roof. That way the repair is made where the water gets in, and not where it shows.

Published life figures for clay roof tiles

SourceWhat it says
MarleyA minimum life of 60 years, as determined by the Building Research Establishment
MyBuilderClay tiles need replacing after 40 to 60 years
Building Conservation DirectoryCalls 60 years a poor yardstick for old peg tile roofs
Source: Marley; MyBuilder, updated 21/08/2026; Building Conservation Directory

Chapter two

Horsham stone, St Bartholomew's and the Chequers Inn

A Grade I church porch in Horsham stone and a Grade II* coaching inn show what old Maresfield roofs ask of anyone touching them.

Sandstone farmhouse and barn with Horsham stone roofs in the Sussex Weald
Sandstone farmhouse and barn with stone roofs in the Sussex Weald

Maresfield was an important centre of the Sussex iron industry, with five known furnace sites in the parish: Oldlands, Old Forge, Maresfield Powdermills, Hendall and Lower Marshalls. It also sits at the junction of the old London-to-coast road, the former A22, and the A272. The Parish Church of St Bartholomew, with elements from the 13th century, is listed Grade I and its north porch has a Horsham stone slate roof. The Chequers Inn, an 18th-century coaching inn on the London road, is listed Grade II*. Buildings like these set the tone for the whole village, and anyone repairing a roof nearby should recognise what they are looking at, and what the neighbouring roofs can teach.

At a glance

  • St Bartholomew's has 13th-century elements
  • Its north porch has a Horsham stone slate roof
  • The Chequers Inn is an 18th-century Grade II* coaching inn

2.1 How a Horsham stone slate roof is laid and mended

In the Stone Roofing Association's description, Horsham stone-slates are calcareous, flaggy sandstones, cut to random sizes and hung so that big slabs sit low on the roof and small ones near the ridge. Horsham District Council notes that such roofs have a steep pitch, with strong timbers to carry the weight. On a repair, the Association puts reuse of as many of the roof's own stone-slates as possible ahead of everything else. It discourages buying in slates stripped from other buildings, and would sooner see new Horsham stone make up a shortfall. Supply was reported as short in 2019. Our Horsham stone roofing page explains lifting, sorting and relaying.

2.2 Listing, designation and the church

Maresfield's conservation area was designated in 1992 and re-designated with an enlarged boundary in March 2017. Wealden's Article 4 list names Rotherfield only, so none applies here. Like-for-like repair rarely needs planning permission, but listed building consent is required for works that affect a listed building's character, and the Association adds that changes to a listed Horsham roof need it from the local authority. St Bartholomew's, an Anglican parish church still in worship use, is dealt with under the faculty jurisdiction of the Church of England, not the district council. Roof windows and dormers are covered separately in our roof planning permission guide.

Horsham stone slate roofs, in brief

Stone
Calcareous, flaggy sandstones (Stone Roofing Association)
Laying
Double lap, or single lap unique to Horsham roofs
Courses
Big slabs low, small slabs high
First choice for repair
Reuse the roof's own stone-slates
Stone from other buildings
Discouraged
Supply
Reported as short in 2019

Source: Stone Roofing Association, Horsham Stone Roofs (2009); Stone Specialist, 31 July 2019

Chapter three

Leaves, moss and gutters beside Ashdown Forest

On a roof beneath trees, drainage and cleanliness decide how long the covering lasts as much as the tiles themselves do.

Maresfield lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the southern edge of Ashdown Forest, so many roofs have trees beside them. Leaves, needles and twigs collect in valleys and gutters, hold moisture against the tiles and encourage moss. A thin film of moss does little harm. A thick cushion that has lifted tile edges, or has blocked a valley so that water backs up under the covering, is a different matter. The first job on a wooded plot is to see what is blocking the drainage and what damage, if any, it has done, before anything is cleaned or replaced.

At a glance

  • Leaf litter blocks gutters and valleys
  • Jet washing may harm delicate tiles
  • Manufacturers suggest a gentle fall to the outlet
Roofer on a scaffold scraping moss off clay tiles with a hand scraper
Roofer on a scaffold scraping moss off clay tiles with a hand scraper

3.1 Cleaning without harm

MyBuilder cautions that jet washing may harm delicate tiles, and puts manual scraping at £5 to £10 per m². Old clay tiles with a worn face are exactly the kind of covering that suffers under a jet. On a roof like that we prefer to scrape and brush by hand, clear the valleys and then look underneath at the tiles that were hidden by the growth. Cleaning cannot repair a cracked tile or a rusted nail. If the survey finds either, those faults are put right first, and a clean roof then has something sound beneath it. Our gutters, soffits and fascias page covers the drainage side of the job.

Roofer on a scaffold scraping moss off clay tiles with a hand scraper
Roofer on a scaffold scraping moss off clay tiles with a hand scraper

3.2 Gutters that keep up

A gutter has to fall gently toward its outlet. Manufacturers typically suggest a fall of roughly 1:600 to 1:350 depending on the system, while Brett Martin puts the maximum spacing for gutter supports at 900mm. Under heavy leaf fall, a sagging run holds water, overflows and soaks the wall and fascia beneath it. Replacing the worst lengths and refixing the rest can be enough. We photograph the run from the ground and the ladder, show you where it holds water, and the written quote then gives one total figure. When we leave, the site is tidy and the waste has gone.

Typical UK costs for upkeep jobs

  • Repoint ridge or hip tiles£200 to £400
  • Re-bed or replace ridge tiles£300 to £600
  • Roof cleaning, tiled roof£400 to £750
  • Gutter replacement, per metre£30 to £70

These are general guide figures; the price for your roof follows the survey, and when comparing offers, check each for scaffold hire and VAT. Source: MyBuilder slate roof, roof cleaning and gutter price guides, updated 21/08/2026.

Choosing a service for a Maresfield roof

Maresfield roof questions, from clay hips to forest leaves

How is a hipped clay tile roof in Maresfield's village core usually repaired?

We start at the hips and verges, since those seams take the most wind. Cracked tiles are replaced with a close match, slipped ones are refixed, and ridge or hip tiles are held by fixings as well as mortar, or replaced by a clip-fixed dry system. The written quote arrives with pictures of the problem, so you decide having seen it; a roof that is sound apart from one bad hip is left alone.

Can the Horsham stone slates on a Maresfield roof be reused when it is relaid?

Yes, and the Stone Roofing Association says reuse should come first. The slates are lifted carefully, sorted by size and laid back in diminishing courses on sound timbers. Where some have split, new Horsham slates are the preferred way to make up the shortfall. It discourages using stone stripped from other buildings, if that can be helped. On a listed building, check with the council before anything is lifted.

Do the trees at the edge of Ashdown Forest harm a roof or its gutters?

Not directly, but fallen leaves and needles block valleys and gutters, and a blocked gutter overflows onto the wall and roof edge. Moss then settles in the damp. We clear the drainage first, scrape moss by hand where tiles are delicate, and look underneath for cracked tiles that the growth was hiding. Regular clearing is cheaper than repairing a soaked fascia, though only the survey can say what yours needs.

Does the High Weald landscape designation stop me repairing my Maresfield roof?

No. The designation covers the area and the village sits inside it, but putting back the same covering seldom calls for an application. The conservation area adds care, and listed buildings need consent for work affecting their character. Wealden's Article 4 list names only Rotherfield. If you plan a roof window or a dormer, read our planning guide first, because those follow their own rules.

Roofers near Maresfield

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