01903 299063 Get a quote

Roofers in Southwick

Southwick grew from a village of 34 houses in 1801 into a town of terraces, villas and downland estates. Its roofs record each stage, from the railway-era streets to the slopes built since the 1930s.

Get a quoteCall 01903 299063

Three stages of Southwick, and the roofs they left

  • A terrace of tiled roofs

    Terraces between railway and harbour

    The conservation area appraisal says most of Southwick's late 19th-century population lived in terraces between the railway and the harbour.

    Read more about Terraces between railway and harbour

    A terrace shares party walls and chimney stacks, so a leak can start in a neighbour's roof as easily as your own.

  • A large Victorian villa roof

    Victorian villas north of the railway

    North of the railway, the same appraisal records larger Victorian houses and villas. Bigger roofs mean more valleys, more chimneys and longer gutter runs, each one a joint that gives rain a route inside.

  • Estate houses below a chalk down

    Estates on the downland slopes

    Housing estates have climbed the lower slopes of the chalk downland since the 1930s. A roof from those decades is old enough for its ridge mortar, nails and underlay to need checking, and the open slope adds its own exposure.

Street map of Southwick, east of central Worthing, with a pin on the town.

What the register shows for Southwick

Planning authority
Adur District Council
Councils
Adur District Council and West Sussex County Council
Conservation area
Southwick Conservation Area, first designated in June 1976
Article 4
The Old Rectory site only, removing rights for walls and fences, not roof works
Listed church
St Michael and All Angels, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries
From central Worthing
7.9 road miles, east, about 14 minutes by car

Southwick roofs

From 34 houses to the downland edge

Three roofing questions that follow Southwick's growth: the harbour terraces, the church and Manor House, and the estates above.

Chapter one

Party walls and shared stacks in Southwick's terraces

A terrace is one long roof divided into homes, so its leaks often cross a boundary before they show.

The Southwick conservation area appraisal records that in 1801 the village had only 34 houses and 271 people, and that by 1841, about when the South Coast Railway was built, there were 957. By the late 19th century most residents lived in terraces between the railway and the harbour. A terrace is really a single long roof divided between homes: slopes that run past party walls, chimney stacks that straddle the boundary and gutters that may serve two houses. That shared structure explains many of the leaks we trace, and we begin in the loft, walking the line of each party wall.

At a glance

  • Population rose from 271 in 1801 to 957 in 1841
  • Chimney breast removal always needs approval
  • Party wall notice must be served well ahead
Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing
Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing

1.1 Shared walls, shared stacks

Water does not respect a boundary. A lifted flashing on one house's stack can wet the bedroom next door, and a blocked shared valley can overflow into either loft. We follow the stain back along the wall and photograph the source, which makes a conversation with a neighbour easier. Wherever a slope ends against a parapet or a taller neighbour, the flashing and gutter there take water from two directions, so those edges get a close look too. If a chimney is to come out, the rules are firm. The Planning Portal says Building Regulations approval is always required for removing a chimney breast, and under GOV.UK's party wall guidance, taking a chimney off a party wall is notifiable work, with the neighbour given notice of between two months and a year beforehand. Silence from a neighbour does not mean agreement. On the survey we photograph the stack, its flashings and the gutter joints from both the ladder and the loft side, so a neighbour sees the same evidence you do. Our chimney repairs page covers stack work.

Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing
Victorian terrace chimney stacks with spalled bricks and old lead flashing

1.2 Renting a terrace

If you rent, a leaking roof is usually your landlord's job. For tenancies of less than seven years, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 puts the upkeep of the structure and exterior, roof included, on the landlord, and the Act weighs the age and character of the home when it asks what repair is reasonable. For a flat in a converted house, the duty can reach parts of the building the landlord controls, where disrepair harms your use of the flat. Report the leak in writing. If nothing is done, Adur & Worthing Councils can inspect the home.

Terrace roof work and the rules

Chimney breast removal
Building Regulations approval always applies
Chimney on a party wall
Written notice, 2 to 12 months ahead
Neighbour's silence
Cannot be taken as agreement
Rented homes
Landlord keeps structure and exterior in repair

Source: Planning Portal; GOV.UK party walls guide; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s11, fetched October 2026

Chapter two

Flint, plain tile and St Michael's church

Around the Manor House the walls are flint and the roofs plain tile, with one slate roof in the mix.

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

In the Manor House area of the conservation area, the appraisal says flint is the most common cladding, set off with red brick detailing, and that roofs are generally plain tiles. Plain tiles are small clay tiles laid in overlapping courses. One roof there is described as slate with clay peg tiles along its west frontage. Clay peg tiles are the traditional small tiles, named for the timber peg once used to hang them. A roof like that is a reminder that a street gets built from whatever suited each owner at the time.

At a glance

  • Flint with red brick is the most common cladding
  • Roofs there are generally plain tiles
  • The conservation area dates from June 1976
Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards
Stacks of new handmade clay plain tiles on scaffold boards

2.1 Tiles beside flint

A flint wall rarely gives a straight, flat face, so the roof must be dressed to it. At a gable the roof ends at the verge, the sloping edge, and Marley notes that under BS 5534 tiles to the perimeter of a roof are fixed twice. Along the wall we check the lead flashing and the pointing it sits in, and we look first at the tiles along the eaves and ridge, which take the most weather. Along a flint boundary wall or lean-to, lead is tucked into the joint, and where that joint has crumbled we repoint it before the lead goes back. We lift the good tiles, grade them for reuse and bring in matching ones for any shortfall.

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

2.2 Slate and clay peg together

Slate and clay behave differently. BS 5534 sets 20 degrees as the lowest pitch for natural slate, with hook fixings not used on any pitch below 25 degrees, according to Cupa. When a roof mixes the two, each covering is repaired on its own terms. Our slate roofing page explains slate repair, and we check the pitch before suggesting any re-covering.

2.3 The church, the Old Rectory and consent

The conservation area was first designated in June 1976. St Michael and All Angels is a listed church of the 12th and 13th centuries. While it remains in worship use under the Church of England, the Church's own faculty process takes the place of listed building consent. The only Article 4 direction recorded for Southwick covers the Old Rectory site and removes rights for walls and fences, not roof works. Before changing a covering inside the conservation area, check with the Adur & Worthing planning team; our roof planning permission guide sets out the wider rules.

How we repair a roof that mixes coverings

  1. Map the roof We record where slate, clay and any other covering meet, slope by slope.
  2. Check pitch Each slope is measured against the limit for its own covering before anything is ordered.
  3. Sort and reuse Sound slates and tiles are lifted, graded and set aside for reuse.
  4. Match the gaps New slates or tiles are picked to blend with the old, not to contrast.

Chapter three

Condensation, ventilation and the downland estates

Roofs from the 1930s onward are old enough that the damp in the loft may be moisture from inside, not rain from outside.

The Victoria County History says housing estates have been built on the lower slopes of the chalk downland since the 1930s. Roofs from the 1930s through the post-war years are now between sixty and ninety years old. MyBuilder puts concrete tiles at 30 to 50 years, and Marley expects around 60, so a roof of that age may already be past the lower figure. Condition matters more than date, which is why each roof is assessed on what the survey turns up.

At a glance

  • Estates have spread up the downland since the 1930s
  • Vent gaps are set by pitch and underlay type
  • Damp after cold nights may not be a leak
Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea
Rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea

3.1 Condensation or a leak

Damp in a loft after a cold night with no rain is a different problem from a stain that appears after a storm. A leak follows the weather, while condensation follows the temperature, as warm air from the house meets a cold roof. We look for the stain's path and timing before we recommend a repair. Bathrooms, kitchens and drying laundry all add moisture to a house, and an extractor that vents into the loft instead of outdoors can load a cold roof with water vapour.

Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea
Rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea

3.2 Ventilating a cold roof

Marley, citing BS 5250, gives the figures for a roof with a high-resistance underlay: continuous eaves ventilation of 25 mm for pitches of 15 degrees or less, and 10 mm above that. A further 5 mm continuous gap at high level is wanted where the pitch exceeds 35 degrees, where the span is over 10 m, or on a lean-to. A low-resistance underlay over a well-sealed ceiling can rely on the 3 mm gap that normal eaves construction gives, provided its certification is met. We look for insulation stuffed into the eaves and for vents that have been painted shut.

3.3 Roofs that were re-covered once

A house from the 1930s may have been re-covered once since, and the roof can look new while the battens beneath are the originals. Lifting tiles at the eaves and the ridge shows whether the timbers are as sound as the covering, and whether the underlay, if there is any, is whole. Where it is torn, water blown in behind the tiles has nowhere to go. Whatever the survey finds, the repair we propose is the smallest one that properly closes the fault. The survey also covers the chimney stacks, the valleys and the gutters, so the picture is complete.

Typical UK costs for roof repairs and a survey

  • Minor roof repair£100 to £300
  • Moderate roof repair£500 to £1,000
  • Storm damage fix£500 to £1,500
  • Standard roof survey£150 to £250

National guides, not our prices. The survey tells us what your roof needs, and the written quote follows as one price. Source: MyBuilder roof repair and roof inspection price guides, updated 21/08/2026.

What we do on Southwick roofs

Southwick roof questions, from harbour terraces to the downland edge

Why would a leak in a Southwick terrace start in the neighbour's roof?

Terraces share party walls, chimney stacks and sometimes valleys and gutters, so water can cross a boundary before it shows. A failed flashing on one stack can stain the next house's bedroom. We trace the stain back along the party wall, photograph where the water enters and give you the evidence to share with your neighbour, so the repair goes where the fault is.

Does the Old Rectory Article 4 direction affect roofs in the Southwick Conservation Area?

No. The direction covers the Old Rectory site and removes permitted development rights for walls and fences, not for roof works. The conservation area itself still counts, so check with the Adur & Worthing planning team before changing a roof covering, and ask if your house is listed. A repair in the same materials is unlikely to count as development, and we keep to the covering already there.

How is a roof repaired when slate and clay peg tiles sit together?

Each covering is treated on its own terms. We map where they meet, check the pitch against the limit for each, sort the sound slates and tiles for reuse and choose replacements that sit alongside the old. Cupa notes that BS 5534 puts natural slate at a minimum of 20 degrees and advises against hook fixings below 25 degrees, so the pitch is measured first.

Is damp in the loft of a 1930s Southwick house a leak or a ventilation fault?

It can be either. Damp that follows rain points to a leak, while damp after cold nights points to condensation. We check the stain's path, the eaves vents and the insulation. Marley, citing BS 5250, gives 10 mm continuous eaves ventilation above 15 degrees pitch with a high-resistance underlay, so a blocked eaves gap is an early suspect.

Roofers near Southwick

Tell us about your roof

Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.

  • Photographs of what we find
  • A written quote with one total price
  • Or call 01903 299063

10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.

Call Get a quote