What is Horsham stone, and is my roof made of it?
Horsham stone is a flaggy, fine-grained sandstone from the Weald Clay, named because the beds occur mainly around Horsham, and used for roofing on the more important pre-1800 buildings. If your house is a modern build, your roof is almost certainly clay or concrete tile instead.
You can still see it in town: listed houses on The Causeway, such as 15 and 16 The Causeway, have Horsham slab roofs. Stone slabs are heavy, laid in diminishing courses, and repaired very differently from modern tiles, so make sure the roofer has worked on stone roofs before.
Do I need permission to repair a roof in Horsham's conservation area?
If the building is listed, check before any work that changes materials or character. The Horsham conservation area alone contains 57 listed buildings, including the Grade I St Mary's Church, so it's a common question in the old town.
Historic England advises checking with your council's conservation officer first, and warns that unauthorised works to a listed building are a criminal offence. Like-for-like repairs are often treated differently from changes of material, but the council decides, not the roofer. This page isn't legal advice.
What roof problems do most Horsham homes have?
Away from the listed buildings, most Horsham calls are the ones you'd expect anywhere: slipped and cracked tiles, loose ridges, worn flashing, flat roofs on extensions and blocked gutters. Our guides to roof repairs, flat roofing and guttering cover what to do and what it usually costs.
The Storm Eunice red warning of February 2022 covered south-east England, and wind damage often shows up as a leak weeks later. Check the roof from the ground after a big blow.
Do landlords or tenants arrange roof repairs?
Landlords, in almost all cases. Private renting in Horsham district rose from 11.8% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2021, so if you rent, report the leak to your landlord or letting agent first.
Roofers serving Horsham
Horsham calls go to the same line as the roofers based around Crawley, just up the A264. Nearby, we also cover Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.