Cottages round the green
The village is small houses and cottages scattered round a very large green, the county history says.
Roofers in Dunsfold
Cottages round a very large green on the Wealden clay
The 1911 county history called Dunsfold one of Surrey's most completely rural parishes, small houses and cottages scattered round a very large green. We study each roof closely.
Dunsfold's roofs, from the green to the church spire
Horsham slabs, then tiles
The church was first roofed with Horsham slabs; by 1911 they remained only on the nave and north transept.
An oak-shingled spire
The church has a timber bell-turret and square spire covered with oak shingles.
Map of Dunsfold with Alfold, Chiddingfold, Hambledon, Plaistow marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Dunsfold, south of Godalming
Chiddingfold lies to the west, Hambledon to the north-west, Cranleigh to the north-east, Alfold to the south-east and Plaistow to the south.
About 24.4 road miles south-east of Farnborough · Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
Dunsfold, the green and the church
Dunsfold's roofs: new coverings, the green, the church
What changing a roof covering involves in law and in weight, how the county history describes Dunsfold's green, cottages and church, and what the conservation area and listed buildings mean for a repair.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Waverley, 2027 and changing a covering | A heavier covering needs approval |
| 02 | A very large green and a stone church | Church built of Bargate stone rubble |
| 03 | Conservation area, the Pound Farm barn, the memorial | Pound Farm barn first listed 30 March 2006 |
Chapter 01 of 03
Waverley, 2027 and changing a covering
| Matter | Position at Dunsfold |
|---|---|
| Planning Portal test: heavier covering | Approval needed at 15 per cent or more extra weight |
| Planning Portal test: fire performance | Approval needed if performance differs significantly |
| Borough council and planning authority | Waverley Borough Council |
| Building control | Waverley's own building control service |
| From 1 April 2027 | West Surrey Council replaces both councils |
Dunsfold sits on the Wealden clay below Godalming, and for roof work it answers to Waverley Borough Council, which runs its own building control service. From 1 April 2027 West Surrey Council takes over from Waverley and Surrey County Council, and until then nothing changes in how services are provided. Farnborough is 24.4 road miles away, so a survey is booked for a fixed time, and the roof is recorded in photographs and measurements from end to end.
When a covering changes
The county history says the church here was first roofed with Horsham slabs, and that by 1911 they remained only on the nave and north transept, the rest having been re-covered in tiles. That is a useful example of a change of covering, and it carries a lesson. Swapping one covering for another changes the load on the roof. Per the Planning Portal, approval is needed once a new covering reaches 15 per cent more weight, and it recommends consulting a structural engineer or surveyor beforehand.
The guidance names a second trigger: a covering that would behave very differently in a fire. So a swap from stone slab or thatch to tile, or the reverse, begins at the building control desk and not at the tile merchant. We weigh the existing covering at the survey, say whether a proposed change crosses either line, and put the answer in writing.
Small cottages, close detail
A cottage roof is small, so its details carry weight: a short ridge, two verges, a chimney, perhaps a dormer. Each is a place for a leak to start, and on a thin roof a single slipped tile can wet a bedroom. Our pitched roofing page sets out the repairs we survey for. Poles over a public road need the highway authority's licence, and we arrange it with the scaffolder before dates are set.
In a cottage loft the survey looks for daylight through the laps, sagging rafters, damp wall plates and stained timber, and each finding is placed on a roof plan with its photograph. A leak that shows in a bedroom is traced along the timbers to the point where water enters, not to the nearest stain, and the plan says which findings are urgent and which can wait.
Chapter 02 of 03
A very large green and a stone church
Dunsfold in the county history's figures
- 4,028 acresarea of the parish in 1911
- 1270 to 1290dates of the church of St Mary and All Saints
- 1,122residents, ONS Census 2021, Dunsfold parish
- 16listed buildings within 500 m of the centre
The Victoria County History of 1911 calls Dunsfold one of the most completely rural and sequestered parishes in Surrey, covering 4,028 acres on the Wealden clay. The 2021 Census counted 1,122 usual residents. The village, it says, is small houses and cottages scattered round a very large green, which gives it a loose layout: roofs stand apart and are seen from several sides, so the back and side slopes matter as much as the front.
The church of St Mary and All Saints
The church dates from between 1270 and 1290, is built of Bargate stone rubble, and has a timber bell-turret and a square spire covered with oak shingles. Oak shingles are a church spire detail and not a house covering, so they sit with the church's own advisers. The roof below was originally of Horsham slabs, thick slabs of stone. Stone slab is heavy and needs a strong frame, which is why replacing it with tile changes more than the look.
Where a cottage still carries stone slabs, we look first at the timbers and the fixings, because the weight is carried by the roof frame and the pegs that hold each slab. Slabs lifted and re-laid in the same order keep their pattern. New fixings go where old pegs have failed, and the survey says how many slabs can be re-used and how many have laminated.
Waverley says it has 44 conservation areas, listed by parish, and names two here, Dunsfold and Dunsfold Church, both designated in 1974. The council's own pages are the place to confirm the boundary for a particular house, and a boundary can run through a street so that one side is in and the other out. We check the map for the exact address and note the result in the survey before anything is priced.
Old church roofs and spires, like old cottage roofs, can shelter birds and bats. Occupied nests are protected: section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 punishes whoever intentionally harms a nest in use or half built, and GOV.UK lists roof repair among the activities that can affect bat roosts. For any work near such a structure, we look first, and pause if we find signs.
Church dates and size
1270 to 1290dates of the church of St Mary and All Saints
4,028 acresarea of Dunsfold parish in 1911
Roofs seen from all sides
On a green, every elevation is visible, and so is any difference in tile colour or ridge detail. We match what is there in size, colour and course, record it with photographs, and keep them. Our chimney repairs page covers the stacks, which stand clear of a low roof and are checked on every face.
Chapter 03 of 03
Conservation area, the Pound Farm barn, the memorial
| Designation | At Dunsfold | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area | Dunsfold, within about 0.75 km of the centre | Changes to the look checked with Waverley |
| Article 4 entries | Fisher Lane (1998) and Plaistow Road (2005), flagged as ended | Confirm your address with Waverley |
| Grade II listed | Barn at Pound Farm (NHLE 1391551) | Listed building consent |
| Grade II listed | Common House (NHLE 1189892) | Listed building consent |
| Grade II listed | Dunsfold War Memorial and enclosure (NHLE 1441453) | Listed building consent |
In the national dataset the Dunsfold conservation area lies within about 0.75 km of the village centre. Waverley's Article 4 list names two Dunsfold entries, land at Fisher Lane from 1998 and land east of Plaistow Road from 2005, and the council's dataset flags both as ended. Neither is described as a roof direction. Waverley is the one to ask whether a direction touches your address. Our planning permission for roof work guide shows what to ask.
The barn, the house and the memorial
Historic England lists the barn at Pound Farm at Grade II, giving 30 March 2006 as the date, and it lists Common House and Dunsfold War Memorial with its enclosure at the same grade. It counts 16 listed buildings within 500 m of the centre. Changing the character of any listed building calls for Waverley's listed building consent, which sits apart from Building Regulations. A barn roof is a large span on a simple frame, so the survey measures rafters, purlins and the wall plate as well as the covering.
St Mary and All Saints is a Church of England parish church in use, as A Church Near You's listing of its services shows, so its roof is decided through the faculty system and not by Waverley. Any roofer working there follows the church's own advisers.
The figure16listedbuildings Historic England lists within 500 m of Dunsfold's village centre16 within 500 mSource: Historic England, National Heritage List for England
A consent application normally needs a description of the works, drawings or photographs of the building as it stands, and a statement of why the work is needed. Our survey supplies the photographs and measurements, and we describe the repair in terms a conservation officer will recognise: materials, method and finish matched to what is there. We do not decide the outcome, and no roof work starts until the council has decided, with the decision letter filed alongside the survey.
Recording what is there
Survey photographs are the basis of any consent application or like-for-like repair. We record tile or slab size, the ridge, the verges and the lead around chimneys ahead of pricing, and the set stays with the survey. Our gutters, soffits and fascias page covers the roofline, where a cottage's low eaves put gutters within close view and close reach.
Slabs, spires and the green: Dunsfold roof questions
How is a Dunsfold cottage roof of stone slabs repaired?
We look at the timbers and the pegs that hold each slab first, because the frame carries a heavy covering. Sound slabs are lifted and re-laid in order, new fixings go where pegs have failed, and the survey says how many slabs can be re-used and how many have laminated. Matching slabs are sourced only once the count is known.
Do I need approval to change the covering on a Dunsfold roof?
Often. Approval is triggered by extra weight of 15 per cent or more, or by a covering that would behave very differently in a fire. The Planning Portal suggests an opinion from a structural engineer or surveyor beforehand. We weigh the roof at the survey and tell you which thresholds a change crosses.
Are the Dunsfold Article 4 entries still in force?
Waverley's list names two, land at Fisher Lane (1998) and land east of Plaistow Road (2005), and its dataset flags both as ended. Neither concerns roofs, as described. Because the list can change, ask Waverley to confirm what applies at your address before any alteration to a roof's appearance.
Does the Pound Farm barn's listing affect nearby roofs?
Only for the listed building itself. The barn at Pound Farm is Grade II, so altering its character needs listed building consent from Waverley. A neighbouring house that is not listed follows ordinary planning and building control routes, and the survey checks which of them applies to yours.
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