Purley Hall's lost storey
Purley Hall, an early 17th-century brick and stone mansion, is said to have lost a third storey to its weight.
Roofers in Purley on Thames
A brick mansion that lost its third storey to weight
Purley on Thames sits between the river and the Wallingford road, with a 17th-century brick and stone hall whose third storey was said to be too heavy. We weigh roofs.
Purley's roofs, from the Hall to the riverside church
Portland stone park house
In 1923 the county history described Purley Park house as a large modern building of Portland stone.
A church above the ferry
St Mary's stands in Purley Park above Purley Ferry, nearer the river than the house.
Map of Purley on Thames with Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Whitchurch-on-Thames, Calcot marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
Purley on Thames, west of Reading
Tilehurst lies to the south, Calcot beyond it, Pangbourne to the west, Whitchurch-on-Thames to the north-west and Caversham to the east, all within a few miles.
About 24.6 road miles north-west of Farnborough · West Berkshire Council (unitary).
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Purley, roof weight and the Hall
Purley on Thames: roof loading, the Hall, the church
Why a heavier covering is a structural question, with two sources that state the threshold differently, how the county history records Purley Hall and Park, and what the Chilterns edge and the Grade II* church mean for a repair.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | West Berkshire, building control and roof loading | Two sources, two wordings of one threshold |
| 02 | Purley Hall, a Portland stone house and the Ferry | St Mary's church stands above Purley Ferry |
| 03 | The Chilterns edge, Mapledurham and St Mary's | Purley Park and St Mary's, both Grade II* |
Chapter 01 of 03
West Berkshire, building control and roof loading
| Matter | Position at Purley on Thames |
|---|---|
| Planning authority | West Berkshire Council (unitary) |
| Building control | Building Control Solutions, West Berkshire with Wokingham |
| Approved Document A, significant change in roof loading | Loading increased by more than 15 per cent |
| Planning Portal, covering needing approval | Weight increased by 15 per cent or more |
| Flood map | Flood Zone 3 within about 250 m of the centre |
Purley on Thames stands beside the river, west of Reading, between the water and the Wallingford road. Its council is West Berkshire, a unitary authority, and Building Control Solutions, the joint service West Berkshire runs with Wokingham, handles inspections. On the Environment Agency's map Flood Zone 3 comes within about 250 m from the village middle, which says something about the river meadows and nothing about a roof. The drive from Farnborough is 24.6 road miles.
A storey too heavy for its walls
The county history says that Purley Hall, formerly Hyde Hall, is an early 17th-century two-storey mansion of brick and stone, and that a third storey is said to have been removed because its weight was too much for the walls. Whether or not the story is exact, it states a principle that every roofer respects: a roof is a load, and the walls beneath it carry that load to the ground. Changing the covering changes the load.
Two official sources set a threshold, and they word it differently. Approved Document A says a significant change in roof loading is when the loading is increased by more than 15 per cent. The Portal's line is a covering adding 15 per cent or more to roof weight, which needs Building Regulations approval, and it suggests a prior view from a structural engineer or surveyor. We name whichever source we quote, and treat 15 per cent as the point at which a check is made, in writing.
The figure15%the roof-loading increase that Approved Document A and the Planning Portal both flag15% check thresholdSource: Approved Document A (2013); Planning Portal
The check is simple in practice. The existing covering is identified and its weight taken from published data, the proposed covering likewise, and the difference is written as a percentage with both sources named. If the sums are close, an engineer's opinion is cheap beside the cost of a wall that has to be strengthened afterwards.
Weighing a covering
At the survey we identify the existing covering, and we compare it with the one proposed. Swapping thin slates for thick tiles, or a lightweight sheet for stone slabs, can cross the line, whereas a like-for-like re-cover usually does not. If the number is close, we tell you and suggest the engineer's check. Our pitched roofing page lays out repair options, and a heavier roof is a decision to take on the evidence.
Chapter 02 of 03
Purley Hall, a Portland stone house and the Ferry
Purley on Thames in dates and figures from the records
- Early 17th centurydate of Purley Hall, brick and stone
- 1923year of the county history's account
- 4,568residents, ONS Census 2021, Purley on Thames parish
- 25 October 1951date Purley Park was first listed
The Victoria County History of 1923 describes St Mary's parish church standing in Purley Park above Purley Ferry, nearer the river than the house, from which the railway separates it. It describes Purley Park house as a large modern building of Portland stone in the Italian style. The Census of 2021 recorded 4,568 people in the parish, a village of some size with houses of many dates.
Stone, brick and the roofs above them
Stone and brick houses of this kind have particular roof details. A stone cornice or parapet hides a gutter, a hipped roof meets the wall with lead, and chimneys rise through thick walls. When a roofer works on such a building the lead is the first thing examined, because it is hidden and it takes a great deal of water. Lead is chosen by weight: Code 4, at 1.80 mm, suits flashings, with heavier sheet for parapet and box gutters, and a guide figure of over 80 years for flashing is a minimum, not a forecast.
Because the walls are old, we do not fix roof timbers into them without looking at what holds the load. A rafter bearing on a wall plate that has rotted is a weight question, as the Hall's story shows. Our lead roofing and lead work page covers how hidden gutters are renewed, and each one is photographed before any price is written.
Old stone and brick houses breathe in a way that modern roofs do not. Approved Document C asks a roof to keep rain out and to be built so that interstitial condensation causes no damage to its structure or insulation value. Insulation added to an old roof can upset that balance, so ventilation and underlay are noted before any is fitted, and the timbers are photographed while they are still in view.
The Hall and the Park
Early 17th centurydate of Purley Hall, brick and stone
25 October 1951date Purley Park was first listed
A village between the river and the road
Purley sits between the Thames and the Wallingford road, and the county history notes the railway running between the church and Purley Park house. A roof beside a railway cutting or a river meadow needs no special treatment for the covering, but it may need special access: scaffold on a restricted site, a crane or a safe route past the line. We note the access at the survey and plan around it. Our chimney repairs page covers the stacks.
Chapter 03 of 03
The Chilterns edge, Mapledurham and St Mary's
| Designation | At Purley on Thames | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| National Landscape | Chilterns, partly: 4 per cent of the 1.5 km area | Ask the planning team about dormers |
| Conservation area | Mapledurham, within about 0.75 km of the centre | Changes to the look checked with the council |
| Grade II* listed | Purley Park (NHLE 1288453) | Listed building consent |
| Grade II* listed church in use | Church of St Mary (NHLE 1288375) | Faculty system |
| Grade II listed | Ivy Cottage (NHLE 1288454) | Listed building consent |
Chilterns is a National Landscape, the label that replaced AONB, and its edge crosses the ground near Purley: the centre point lies outside, yet 4 per cent of the area within 1.5 km falls inside. The national dataset also places the Mapledurham conservation area, on the far side of the Thames, within about 0.75 km of the centre. The council's own maps show whether your house falls in either, and a proposal that alters a roof's street appearance should reach the council's planners first. Our planning permission for roof work guide covers who to approach, and with what.
The national planning dataset maps two Article 4 direction areas near Purley, at land fronting 1085 to 1107 Oxford Road and at land at Theobald Drive, both in Tilehurst. Neither description mentions roofs. Your own address still needs checking with West Berkshire before changing how a roof looks, and its answer is kept in your file.
Two Grade II* buildings
Historic England lists Purley Park at Grade II*, from 25 October 1951, and the Church of St Mary at the same grade, from 14 April 1967. Ivy Cottage is Grade II. As St Mary's holds Anglican worship, faculty governs its roof. Not every church uses that route: Roman Catholic, Methodist, URC and some Baptist churches have systems of their own, Unitarian and Quaker buildings, closed churches and those vested in the Churches Conservation Trust need listed building consent, and a scheduled monument needs scheduled monument consent. For Purley Park and Ivy Cottage, listed building consent from the council is needed if the character is to be altered, and Historic England records six listed buildings in range of the centre, so addresses are looked up first.
Matching is the work: the covering, the ridge and hip, the verges, the lead. Each is photographed before pricing, and the set stays on file, so a later owner or an officer can see the finished roof against the original, and the weight sums are kept alongside the pictures for the same reason. Where a heavier covering is proposed on a listed or older house, the loading check comes first, and the written findings put the numbers beside the decision, so the reasoning can be read by anyone who needs it.
Roof weight, the Hall and St Mary's: Purley on Thames questions
Why does roof weight matter on an older Purley on Thames house?
Because the walls carry the roof. The county history says a third storey was removed from Purley Hall because its weight was too much for the walls. A new covering that adds more than 15 per cent to the loading, in Approved Document A's words, is significant, and we weigh the existing and the proposed covering before suggesting a change.
Do Approved Document A and the Planning Portal give the same figure?
Nearly. Approved Document A says a significant change in roof loading is an increase of more than 15 per cent, while the Portal's wording is a new covering adding 15 per cent or more to the weight. We name the source we quote, and treat 15 per cent as the point at which a check is made.
Which system governs roof work on Purley's St Mary's?
As a Grade II* church in regular Anglican use, St Mary's has its roof work decided by faculty rather than by West Berkshire Council. Purley Park, at the same grade but not a church, needs the council's listed building consent if its character is to be altered.
Does the Chilterns designation change roof work at Purley on Thames?
It can. Four per cent of the area within 1.5 km of Purley's centre falls inside the Chilterns National Landscape, so a loft dormer or extension may be treated differently from one elsewhere. Ask West Berkshire's planners early, with our survey pictures, so you know where you stand before paying for drawings.
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