Flint-filled timber frames
The 1911 county history describes an old house on the road to Gomshall with an overhanging gable and timbers filled with flints.
Roofers in Gomshall
Roofs by the Tillingbourne mill, over flint-filled timber frames
In 1911 Gomshall had a tannery and a brewery, and a house on the road to it had flint-filled timbers. Each roof gets its own survey.
Gomshall's roofs, from the mill to Queen Street
1-4 Malthouse Cottages
1 to 4 Malthouse Cottages is a Grade II listed row, first listed on 14 June 1967.
Queen Street houses
9, 10, 11 and 12 Queen Street are listed Grade II, so roof changes there start with consent.
Map of Gomshall with Shere, Peaslake, Albury, Abinger marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Gomshall, on the A25 and the Tillingbourne
Shere lies just west, with Albury beyond, Peaslake south, Abinger south-east and West Horsley north; Farnborough lies far off to the north-west, beyond Guildford.
About 17.9 road miles east of Farnborough · Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
Tiles, flat roofs and gutters in Gomshall
Gomshall, mill village record
Gomshall roofs, old timbers and the spray foam question
What RICS says about spray foam under an old timber roof, what the 1911 history and Guildford's profile record about the tannery, brewery and mill, and how a Surrey Hills village and thirteen listed buildings shape repairs.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Spray foam under an old timber roof | RICS guide, 31 March 2023 |
| 02 | A tannery, a brewery and flint in the frames | 1849: the station opened |
| 03 | The Shere conservation area and thirteen listings | 13 listed buildings within 500 m |
Chapter 01 of 03
Spray foam under an old timber roof
| Point | Published position |
|---|---|
| RICS press release | Dated 3 March 2023; guide published 31 March 2023 |
| Lending | Concern in specific sectors, such as equity release; check with your mortgage provider |
| Timber roof structure | If covered with spray foam it cannot be fully seen or inspected |
| Installation fault | Incorrectly installed insulation can harm ventilation and cause moisture damage |
| Energy Saving Trust | On a leaking roof: "We don't recommend doing this" |
Gomshall is a village on the A25 and the Tillingbourne, 17.9 miles by road to the east of Farnborough, counted from the A325 Farnborough Road. Planning and building control sit with Guildford, while the highway is Surrey County Council's, current until 31 March 2027, after which Guildford addresses become part of West Surrey Council. In a village of old timber frames, what has been done to the inside of a roof can matter as much as the outside.
What RICS said in 2023
In March 2023 RICS issued a consumer guide on spray foam insulation. At the time of its guide RICS spoke of unease in parts of the mortgage market, equity release among them, and its guide suggests owners put the question to their own mortgage provider. That is a prompt to check, nothing more, and policies differ between lenders.
RICS also makes a point that matters to a roofer: foam sprayed over a timber roof structure hides it from inspection, and RICS adds that poorly installed insulation can disturb ventilation and bring moisture damage. In an old frame, rot at a rafter foot or a wall plate would lie out of sight. The Energy Saving Trust, asked about foam on a leaking roof, simply says it does not recommend that.
What we do about it
The first visit records whether foam has been sprayed on the underside of a roof, photographs it wherever it can be reached, and says what it hides. Foam comes off only when the evidence supports that, and the work is described on our spray foam insulation removal page. If the condition of a roof cannot be judged until the foam is dealt with, you are told so plainly, with the reason. Where foam covers the underside, we read what can still be seen: the gable ends, the eaves, the ridge from outside and any hatch, and we look at the outside of the roof for signs of trapped water, such as slipped tiles, staining and lifted flashings.
Where there is no foam, the survey is a normal one. Our pitched roofing page covers the repairs, and the written plan says what was found and why each repair is proposed.
Chapter 02 of 03
A tannery, a brewery and flint in the frames
Gomshall's history in four published facts
- 17.9 road mileseast of Farnborough, from the A325
- 1,376residents, ONS Census 2021, Gomshall built-up area
- 1849year Gomshall and Shere station opened
- 1825year the Congregational chapel was founded
Guildford's settlement profile says Gomshall's housing clusters on two roads running north to south, with sizeable developments at Towerhill and Leather Lane, and the Tillingbourne running through the village past its old mill. The 1911 county history adds that the hamlet had a tannery and a brewery, that Gomshall and Shere station opened in 1849, and that a mill recorded in Gomshall in 1086 probably stood on the site of Netley Mill. At the 2021 Census the Gomshall built-up area held 1,376 usual residents.
Flint between the timbers
The same history notes an old house on the road to Gomshall with an overhanging gable and spaces between its timbers filled with flints instead of plaster or brick. An overhanging gable pushes the roof edge out past the wall, so the verge and the barge boards sit higher and further out than on a plain house. Flint infill is hard, and it moves differently from the timber that frames it. The same history records King John's Lodge, the old manor-house of Gomshall Netley, as a largely 16th-century farm. Where a shaded slope carries moss, we note it and any leaf litter, and say whether clearing alone would deal with the problem or whether the covering beneath has failed.
That mix tells us how the survey should go. The roof edge on a framed house is photographed where it meets the wall, because a gap between the timber and the roof covering lets water reach the frame. We look for daylight, staining and rot at the wall head and the verge, and report on each.
A village that never had its own church
The history remarks that Gomshall, always a place of considerable population and importance, never had a church of its own, and that its Congregational chapel was founded in 1825. We mention it for the plain reason that buildings of that kind, chapels, halls and cottages, share the village with houses, and each gets the same careful survey.
A tannery and a brewery were working buildings, and a working building can carry a low or flat roof behind a pitched front. If a Gomshall property has such a roof, our flat roofing page describes the falls, outlets and membranes we check, and our gutters, soffits and fascias page covers the rainwater goods.
Chapter 03 of 03
The Shere conservation area and thirteen listings
| Designation | In Gomshall | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area | Shere, within about 0.75 km of the centre | Changes to the look checked with Guildford |
| Surrey Hills National Landscape | Gomshall lies inside | Dormer and other permitted-development limits: ask Guildford |
| Grade II listed | 1 to 4, Malthouse Cottages (NHLE 1189399) | Listed building consent for works affecting its character |
| Grade II listed | 9, 10, 11 and 12, Queen Street (NHLE 1029458) | Listed building consent for works affecting its character |
| Grade II listed | Barn 35 yards east of Edmonds Farm House (NHLE 1294200) | Listed building consent for works affecting its character |
In the planning dataset a Shere conservation area lies within about 0.75 km of Gomshall's centre. Guildford publishes appraisals and a map for its areas. Gomshall also sits inside the Surrey Hills National Landscape, formerly an AONB, where a new dormer must have planning permission, and the council decides each address. Because the village lies in a protected landscape, we also look at how any new material will sit beside its neighbours, and where we can show a sample beside the existing tiles we do, so you and the council see the match before anything is ordered.
On Guildford's page, an address covered by an Article 4 direction cannot lose or change a chimney without permission, and the council's map is how an owner finds out. In planning law a repair is not development unless the outward appearance materially changes, which is the effect of section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. A new covering or ridge would change it, so Guildford's planners are asked.
Malthouse, Queen Street and a barn
1 to 4, Malthouse Cottages was first listed Grade II on 14 June 1967. 9, 10, 11 and 12, Queen Street and the barn 35 yards east of Edmonds Farm House are also listed Grade II. Historic England's list counts 13 listed buildings within about 500 m of the village point. The owner of a listed building needs listed building consent before changing its character, and we ask to see the consent before a start date is agreed.
The figure13listedlisted buildings stand within 500 m of the village point, by Historic England count13 within 500 mSource: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, accessed 28 October 2026
Where a barn roof is open inside, its battens and rafters can be seen from below, which makes it an easy roof to survey and a hard one to disguise. We photograph the covering from outside and the timbers from within, and the description we write for any consent application uses both. If a re-cover keeps scaffold up for weeks, the licence period is agreed with the scaffolder in advance, and the plan says who is responsible for each stage. For any listed building we also ask who owns the roof, since a tenant may need the owner's agreement as well as the council's, and the report goes to both of them.
Gomshall roof questions, from spray foam to Malthouse Cottages
Can spray foam under a Gomshall roof hide rot in old timbers?
Yes, it can. RICS points out that a timber roof structure under spray foam can no longer be seen in full, and it warns that badly installed insulation can disturb ventilation and cause moisture damage. We photograph the foam where we can reach it and say what it conceals, so you can see what the visit could not reach.
Do Gomshall lenders mind spray foam?
In March 2023 RICS reported concern in parts of the mortgage market, equity release first, and advised owners to ask their mortgage provider. It is a point to check, not a ruling. Your lender sets its own policy, so ask it before any foam is added or removed, and keep its answer with the survey.
Is Gomshall inside the Shere conservation area?
The planning dataset puts the Shere conservation area within about 0.75 km of Gomshall's centre, and Guildford's map settles which side of the line your house is on. In planning law, putting back the original is not development, whereas a new covering or stack alters the building's look and is put to Guildford, with the answer reported to you.
Does roof work on Malthouse Cottages need listed building consent?
Yes, where the work changes the character of the building. 1 to 4, Malthouse Cottages is listed Grade II, and listed building consent comes before the work. Repair in matching materials is the lighter case for a listed cottage, and the photographs and written description that accompany an application are prepared by us.
Around Gomshall: Shere, Peaslake and Abinger
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