St Luke's old chapel
The old chapel has late 11th-century stone rubble walls, found when early 19th-century cement render was stripped off.
Roofers in Milland
Roofs in a scattered village where three counties meet
Milland lies near the point where Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey meet, with an eleventh-century chapel and a three-storey mill. The whole village sits inside the South Downs National Park.
Milland's old chapel, mill and farm barn
A water-mill of three storeys
Milland Mill, a three-storey building of the late 17th or 18th century, probably gives the village its name.
Waldergrave's Grade II barn
The barn at Waldergrave Farm, north-east of the farmhouse, is listed Grade II.
Map of Milland with Liphook, Fernhurst, Bramshott, Liss marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Milland, west of Fernhurst
Milland is a scattered village near where Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey meet, west of Fernhurst, and Farnborough lies 28.5 road miles away to the north.
About 28.5 road miles south of Farnborough · Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council.
Milland, ventilation and the Park
Milland's roofs: ventilation, an old chapel and the Park
How eaves ventilation works in a roof space and why it matters for Milland's older homes, what records say about the chapel, mill and farm, and how the National Park and Wardley conservation area shape a repair.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Breathing roofs: eaves ventilation explained | 25 mm of eaves ventilation |
| 02 | A chapelry, an old chapel and a mill | Parish from 1863; new church 1878 to 1880 |
| 03 | The South Downs, the Wardley conservation area and Waldergrave | Park covers all of the 1.5 km area |
Chapter 01 of 03
Breathing roofs: eaves ventilation explained
| Underlay and pitch | Ventilation along the eaves |
|---|---|
| HR (non-breathable) underlay, pitch 15 degrees or less | 25 mm along the length of the eaves |
| HR (non-breathable) underlay, pitch over 15 degrees | 10 mm along the length of the eaves |
| LR (breather) underlay, well-sealed ceiling | Fortuitous ventilation at the eaves, about 3 mm, with third-party certification |
| Small roofs over porches and bay windows | May not always need ventilation (Approved Document C) |
A roof space is where warm, damp air leaking up from the rooms below meets a cold covering. If that moisture has nowhere to go, it condenses on the timber and the insulation, and the harm shows years later as rot or mould. That is why Building Regulations expect a roof to resist condensation, and why BS 5250, the standard on managing moisture in buildings, matters to any older Milland house that has been insulated since it was built.
What the figures say
Marley's guidance for a cold roof, one whose insulation lies at ceiling level, depends on the underlay beneath the tiles. An HR underlay is non-breathable. Under it, a gap of 25 mm along the length of the eaves is needed where the pitch is 15 degrees or less, and 10 mm where it is steeper. A breather underlay, called LR, can get by on the gaps in ordinary eaves construction, about 3 mm, provided the ceiling below is well sealed and the product has third-party certification.
Approved Document C adds that cold deck roofs meet the requirement through ventilation, and that over small roofs such as porches and bays it may not always be needed. Loft hatches also need an effective draught seal, so that warm house air does not stream into the roof space carrying moisture.
The figure25mmmm of eaves gap for HR underlay at 15 degrees or less, per Marley10 above 15 degrees25 15 degrees or lessSource: Marley, how do I ventilate a cold roof
Why we check it
Many older roofs have been insulated since they were built, and insulation pushed hard into the eaves can block the very gap those figures describe. On the survey we look from the loft hatch and the eaves, identify the underlay type where it can be seen, and photograph the gap and any staining on the timber. A sound roof with blocked ventilation can often be cured with a small fix, and you are told if that is all it needs.
Building control and planning sit behind the technical points. The South Downs National Park Authority plans for Milland, while building control is not a Park function and stays with the district council or a registered building control approver.
A roof that sweats inside also shows at the ridge, where condensation drips down the underside of the felt. A damp patch under a ridge is therefore not always a leak from outside, and the survey separates the two.
Chapter 02 of 03
A chapelry, an old chapel and a mill
Milland's parish and church, four published figures
- 28.5 road milessouth of Farnborough, from the A325
- 838residents, 2021 Census, Milland parish
- 1863the year Milland became a parish
- 1878 to 1880the new church built beside the old chapel
Milland was long a chapelry of Trotton under the older name of Tuxlith, and it became a parish in 1863. The old chapel of St Luke has late 11th-century stone rubble walls, which came to light when early 19th-century cement render was stripped off. It passed to the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1974, and a new church was built beside it in 1878 to 1880.
What stripped render teaches
A rubble wall covered in cement and then uncovered is a reminder that old buildings are not always what their surface suggests. The same goes for roofs. A covering applied in one decade can hide timber or masonry from another, and we do not assume what lies beneath. Where a Milland roof can be inspected from the loft, we record the rafters, the battens and any earlier repair, and where it cannot, the survey states that plainly.
Milland probably takes its name from a water-mill on a tributary of the Rother, and Milland Mill is a three-storey building of the late 17th or 18th century. On a building of three storeys the gutters, flashings and ridges sit a long way up, so they are checked with extra care and always from a safe working platform.
A scattered village
The village is scattered, with houses, farms and a mill spread across open country and not gathered round a single street, so each roof has to be approached on its own terms. The 2021 Census counted 838 usual residents. Distances between properties are real, and access for materials and scaffold is planned in advance: where a house stands down a track, we agree with you how deliveries will arrive and where waste will be loaded.
If a roof ridge or gutter run is shared with a neighbouring house, we record our own side and describe the rest, and any chat with the neighbours can begin from the same pictures. We never step onto the next roof.
Parish and people
1863the year Milland became a parish
838residents counted in the 2021 Census
Repairs on a lone property also need a plan for weather and daylight, and a gap in the weather may delay a start by a day. A roof opened in the morning must be closed before dark, and on a track-end house with no neighbours to help, we do not leave a slope exposed overnight.
Chapter 03 of 03
The South Downs, the Wardley conservation area and Waldergrave
| Record | In Milland | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| National Park | South Downs, all of the 1.5 km area | Park Authority plans; see our planning guide before a dormer |
| Conservation area | Wardley, within about 0.75 km of the centre | Matching repairs; ask the Park Authority about changes |
| Grade II listed | Waldergrave Farmhouse (NHLE 1275702) | Listed building consent for work affecting character |
| Grade II listed | Barn at Waldergrave Farm (NHLE 1275703) | The same consent route |
The whole village sits within the South Downs National Park, and the Park Authority, not the district, is the local planning authority. All of the 1.5 kilometre area around the village, 100 per cent in the national dataset, is Park land. The Park Authority decides anything that alters how a roof looks, and its planners should hear about a new dormer or roof window before any drawing is made. Our planning permission and roof work guide explains what the designation changes.
Wardley and the farm
The Wardley conservation area lies within about 0.75 km of the centre of Milland. Within the conservation area, matching the existing materials respects the designation, and a switch of covering is a question to put to the planners before booking. The Park Authority can also say whether an Article 4 direction applies to your house.
Waldergrave Farmhouse and the barn to its north-east are each listed Grade II, as the National Heritage List records, and just two listed buildings stand within 500 metres of Milland's centre. Listed building consent is needed as well as any other approval for work that alters their character. The barn was listed on 28 June 1983.
The figure100%of the 1.5 km area around Milland lies inside the South Downs National Park100% inside the parkSource: planning.data.gov.uk national-park layer, 1.5 km area test
Roof windows and conversions
A barn or loft in a house like these may be converted, and roof windows then come up. Approved Document L sets 1.4 for roof windows, with Window Energy Rating Band B as the alternative, and 2.2 for rooflights. A National Park setting makes the position and number of windows a planning matter, so decide what you want before drawings are made.
Our roof windows and skylight installation and repair page covers the fitting, and pitched roofing covers the slopes. Dated photographs from before and after any job are included when the written price is handed over.
An older farm building may also have a roof of unusual construction, with purlins and wind braces that are part of its character. They get photographed before work starts, and a conversion that leaves them visible is easier to agree with the Park Authority than one that hides them.
Bring any drawings, listing text or earlier consents you hold to the survey. They save repeating work the council has already done.
Milland roof questions, from loft vents to the Park
My Milland farmhouse loft was insulated years ago: does the roof still need eaves ventilation?
Usually, yes. Marley's guidance for a cold roof is 25 mm along the eaves for a non-breathable HR underlay at 15 degrees or less, and 10 mm if steeper. A breather underlay depends on roughly 3 mm over a well-sealed ceiling. Insulation stuffed into the eaves can block that gap, so we look from the loft.
Who decides planning questions for a Milland roof, Chichester or the Park?
The South Downs National Park Authority plans for Milland. Building control stays with the district council, because it is not a Park function, unless you pick a registered building control approver. Replacing what was there seldom needs either, whereas altering how the roof looks goes to the Park, which decides on its own timetable.
Is the barn at Waldergrave Farm covered by listed building consent?
Yes. The barn, north-east of the farmhouse, is listed Grade II, as is Waldergrave Farmhouse, so work that affects their character needs listed building consent in addition to any other approval. We photograph the roof first and ask the Park Authority before pricing anything that changes how it looks from outside.
Does the Wardley conservation area cover my Milland house?
It lies within about 0.75 km of the centre of Milland, which does not settle your own address. The Park Authority's planners hold the boundary and know whether an Article 4 direction applies. We put any visible change to them ahead of pricing, and pass their reply on to you.
Get your free roof quote
Milland roof survey requests
Send us your Milland address together with a line on the roof's behaviour, and a survey will be booked.
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.