Moated farmhouses
The 1923 history described two moated farmhouses: one near the church made into cottages, one pulled down.
Roofers in Barkham
Old farmhouses, a flint church and homes south-west of Wokingham
Barkham is a small parish on London Clay and Bagshot sand, south-west of Wokingham, once entirely agricultural. We survey its farm and village roofs before pricing each once.
Barkham's roofs, from farmhouses to the flint church
Langley Pond Farm
Langley Pond Farm's moulded beams show early 16th-century construction, according to the same county history.
St James' Church
St James' was rebuilt in 1862 in flint with stone dressings, with tiled roofs and a small spire.
Map of Barkham with Arborfield, Sindlesham, Arborfield Green, Wokingham marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Barkham, beside the Barkham Brook
Arborfield lies to the west, Sindlesham and Winnersh to the north, Arborfield Green to the south-west, Wokingham to the east, and Finchampstead to the south.
About 11.5 road miles north-west of Farnborough · Wokingham Borough Council (unitary).
Our services for Barkham homes
Barkham, farmland, clay and sand
Barkham's roofs in Wokingham's records
Who regulates a Barkham roof job, what the 1923 county history records of the farms and the church, and what Wokingham's unitary rules and its Coombes Lane Article 4 direction mean for repairs.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wokingham decides, BCS inspects | Wokingham plans and licenses; BCS inspects |
| 02 | A remount depot, moats and a flint church | 4,336 residents, ONS Census 2021 |
| 03 | Coombes Lane's Article 4 direction | Article 4 direction, Coombes Lane |
Chapter 01 of 03
Wokingham decides, BCS inspects
| Role | Body for Barkham addresses |
|---|---|
| Planning authority | Wokingham Borough Council (unitary) |
| Highway authority | Wokingham Borough Council |
| Building control | Building Control Solutions (BCS), with West Berkshire |
| Scaffold licence on the highway | Wokingham Borough Council; scaffold firm applies |
Barkham is 11.5 road miles north-west of Farnborough, with the A325 Farnborough Road as the starting line. Wokingham Borough Council is unitary, so it decides planning and looks after the roads and licenses scaffold on them, while Building Control Solutions, run jointly with West Berkshire Council, provides building control.
Size, weight and farm roofs
Farm roofs are large, and the Planning Portal's yardstick is a share of the roof, not a count of tiles: under 25 per cent of the building envelope and under 50 per cent of the roof stays clear of building control. A farmhouse with a big roof can take a generous repair and still sit inside, which is why the survey measures the roof before saying so. A re-cover goes beyond, and a covering carrying 15 per cent or more extra load brings approval and a structural check into the plan.
If a storm damages a roof, tell your insurer first, make a temporary repair, and keep photos and receipts. The Financial Ombudsman, on 0800 023 4567, looks at whether the policy's storm definition is met, and no payout can be promised by us or anyone else.
The figure25%farm roofs: measure the share, since a large roof absorbs a big patch under this line25% envelope share50% roof shareSource: Planning Portal, re-roofing guidance
An early 16th-century building such as Langley Pond Farm is a case where the structural check matters most. The frame is examined by an engineer or surveyor before any heavier covering is considered, and the report records what they find. Our roof replacement page explains how a re-cover is weighed against repair.
Wokingham's scaffold licence
Under Wokingham Borough Council's rules the scaffolding company is the applicant for its customers. The licence costs £263 for the first 4 weeks and £163 for each 4 week period after that, and the council wants a notice period of 10 working days or more before the planned start. Its page also mentions a footway at least 1.2 metres wide, and says private roads need no licence. A scaffold in your own farmyard or garden is outside the system.
Where a lane has no footway, the position of the scaffold is agreed with the scaffolders, and deliveries and skips are arranged so that the road stays open. A daily note says what has been done and what is next.
Chapter 02 of 03
A remount depot, moats and a flint church
Barkham in dates and numbers
- 11.5 road milesnorth-west of Farnborough, from the A325
- 4,336residents, ONS Census 2021, Barkham parish
- 1862year St James' Church was rebuilt in flint
- 2moated farmhouses in the 1923 history, one already pulled down
In a parish that had been entirely agricultural, the War Office occupied part as a remount depot for the army, the 1923 Victoria County History records, and Langley Pond Farm's moulded beams show early 16th-century construction. It also described two moated farmhouses: Bigg's Farm, lately pulled down, and one near the church turned into two cottages. The parish stands on London Clay with Bagshot sand on the higher ground, crossed by the Barkham Brook, a tributary of the Loddon, and had 4,336 usual residents at the 2021 Census.
A flint church with tiled roofs
The county history says St James' Church was rebuilt on an old site in 1862 in flint with stone dressings, the chancel all of stone, with tiled roofs and a wooden top stage to the tower carrying a small shingled spire. For the village's roofs the lesson is the tile, repaired by matching.
Farm roofs and farmhouse roofs share a problem of scale. Long ridges, many joints and large verges all take weather, and the cost of a failure is a long run of leaking tile. We walk every slope, photograph the ridge and each verge along their length, and lift tiles where the surface hides the battens. Where a farmhouse has been extended over the centuries, the survey draws the roof as a sketch with each part numbered, so the report can say which slopes were found sound.
Clay ground and gutters
London Clay holds water, and a leaking gutter beside a farmhouse wall can leave the ground wet for months. We check each run for falls and outlets, and Brett Martin's guidance of 1 mm of fall for every 600 mm of run is the yardstick. Our gutters, soffits and fascias page explains how a gutter is judged, and the report records each outlet.
If a farmyard building has a flat roof, BS 6229:2025 keeps a minimum finished fall of 1:80 for general roof areas, and a pool that stays after rain means the fall has been lost, which is the first thing to look for after a wet spell.
A barn or outbuilding may also carry a metal roof. HomeBuilding gives a lead flat roof a typical life of 60-100 years, and the BRE Environmental Product Declaration for zinc states 100 years, according to VMZinc. Both are typical figures and neither is a promise, so the survey reads the condition of the metal, its seams and its fixings, and the photographs of each go in your report so the choice between repair and renewal can be made on what is visible.
Chapter 03 of 03
Coombes Lane's Article 4 direction
| Check | Who answers it | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area | Wokingham, which lists 16 in the borough | Ask Wokingham before changing a roof's look |
| Article 4 direction | Land South Side of Coombes Lane, Barkham | Named on Wokingham's list; check by address |
| Listed building | National Heritage List, by address | Listed building consent for work affecting character |
| Building control test | Planning Portal, nationally | Under 25 per cent of the envelope and 50 per cent of the roof |
Wokingham Borough Council's own list of Article 4 directions includes Land South Side of Coombes Lane, Barkham, which names the parish. What the direction removes is for the council to say, so for a house or farm building near Coombes Lane the practical step is to ask Wokingham whether it, or any other direction, reaches the address, and we ask before pricing.
Conservation areas and listings, by address
Wokingham says it has 16 conservation areas, and the council's own map settles whether a Barkham address lies inside one. A conservation area does not bar maintenance: putting back the same covering and ridge keeps the look as it was, whereas a different material changes it, and the question goes to the council. Any listing on the National Heritage List is looked up by address in the same check.
Moated farmhouses and early timber-framed buildings are exactly the kind of building where a listing may apply, and a listed farmhouse needs listed building consent before its character is altered. We describe the repair to the council first: sound tiles reused, matching tiles for gaps, flashings in the right lead code, lead sheet being rolled in numbered codes with the heavier sheet taking the higher number. Our lead roofing page explains the codes.
What reaches the council
Where a question has to go to Wokingham, it goes with the address, photographs, measurements and a plain description of the change, and the booking is held until the reply is in. A copy of everything stays with your report, so the consent route is on paper before any work is agreed, and nothing is left to be sorted out once a ladder is up.
No national grant exists for a new roof. The schemes that do exist concern energy efficiency: ECO4 runs to 31 December 2026, and the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Disabled Facilities Grant are separate schemes. Eligibility is never promised, and each scheme's own rules decide it.
Spray foam applied to the underside of an old roof has become a mortgage question. RICS reported in March 2023 concern within parts of the lending market, equity release mortgages among them, so check with your mortgage provider before agreeing to it.
Barkham roof questions, from moated farmhouses to Coombes Lane
How do you survey a long farm roof at Barkham where the ground is soft?
The whole roof is measured first, then each slope is examined, with the ridge and every verge photographed along their length and tiles lifted where the surface hides the battens. Access is planned for soft clay ground, with a firm base for ladders or a tower, and the report shows the percentages for the building control test, so you can see how they were reached.
Does the Coombes Lane Article 4 direction affect my Barkham roof?
It does if your address lies within it. Wokingham's list names Land South Side of Coombes Lane, Barkham, and what it removes is for the council to say. We ask Wokingham whether it or any other direction reaches your address before pricing, and the answer goes into your written report with the date, so you can read exactly what the council said.
Does an early timber frame at a Barkham farmhouse limit a heavier covering?
It can. A covering carrying 15 per cent or more extra weight needs Building Regulations approval, with a structural check advised, and on timbers that are centuries old the frame is examined first. The survey records the structure and both coverings, and the result goes in your report, with the photographs of the roof timbers that could be seen.
Who applies for the Wokingham scaffold licence on a Barkham lane?
Under Wokingham Borough Council's rules the scaffolding company is the applicant, so you do not complete the form. The licence costs £263 for the first 4 weeks, with at least 10 working days' notice. Private roads and your own farmyard need no licence, and the plan states the access, the skip position and the working hours, so the lane stays passable.
Around Barkham: Arborfield, Sindlesham and Wokingham
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