Clay Roof Tiles- Not Just A Pretty Picture

Borehamwood town has only been on the map for the last 100 years; beforehand it shared the name Elstree. However Borehamwood has not been shy of the limelight- the town is known as one of the main centres of the UK film, and later television, industries due to the presence of production studios.

The village of Well End has a notable pub, the Mops and Brooms, reputedly the site of a battle between travellers and village folk, although another explanation, that it commemorates mop weddings and broomstick weddings which once took place there, has also been advanced.

Following World War II, the town's population greatly increased, with large areas of council housing set up for displaced Londoners, many of which are now in private ownership.

Borehamwood is currently undergoing a substantial housing transformation which has seen hundreds of new homes built over the last five years. There are currently two further developments being built and more are expected.

However a beautifully preserved, grade II listed church in Hertfordshire has recreated the exact character and richness of the colours of its original roof, giving it a much needed facelift.

The Church of the Holy Cross, Hertfordshire dates from the 12th century and has been a place of worship for over 800 years. It boasts a 16th century tower with saddleback roof set slanting to the chancel and nave, making it a rarity in the field of religious architecture, and therefore a sensitive approach to its refurbishment was essential with only tiles of the highest quality were deemed suitable for the project.

Peg tiles were originally used on the roof but over the best part of a century, substantial numbers had been replaced with nibbed tiles, resulting in a mixture of shades and sizes. Consideration was given to salvaging some of the original tiles for use on the new roof but there was a doubt that mixing profiles would not provide the certainty of weathering expected of a replacement roof.

So, after much research, Keymer Traditional tiles were specified by St Albans chartered architect Barry Roberts and laid with consummate care and attention to detail by specialist roofers LS Smerald (Roofing Contractors) Ltd.

It was found that blends of two traditional tiles, Wealden Red and Antique, randomly mixed, achieved a similar texture and colour to the original roof.

Each individual clay tile from Keymers Traditional range is created by master craftsmen and incorporates a hallmark handprint of excellence. Unlike other inferior products, genuine hand made clay tiles offer unique characteristics that simply cannot be replicated by machine, making them ideal for conservation projects such as this.

In fact, so proud are they of their craft skills, the company welcomes specifiers into their factory in Burgess Hill to see at first hand the processes that go into producing every hand made item and has also taken the step of having a tour of their factory assessed and approved by RIBA as a CPD presentation.

As well as producing the finest traditional handmade tiles, Keymer also specialise in bespoke clay finials: no matter how unusual the design, Keymer pride themselves on producing innovative finials to fit all roof types.

The parishioners, who put their trust in Keymer, now have an attractive roof which will preserve this jewel of a church for many more generations to come.