The Church Roof

The roof is probably the most critical part of any building.  It keeps in the heat and keeps out the weather.  Without the roof, we would be worshiping in the open air – in all weathers – and the rain would get into the building structure and cause it to rot.  The roof has to endure extremes of everything the weather can throw at it; from the weight of winter snow to the heat of the summer sun; from the drying blast of the wind to the constant washing with rain water.  It’s no surprise that maintenance of the roofs of our church, hall and cottage are one of the most costly and frequent items in our repair bills.

The greater part of our roofs are made from natural slates, though we do have a couple of sections of flat roofing in areas that are not easily visible.  These slates suffer from two main problems: weathering and vandalism.  The slates themselves deteriorate over the years and can get broken by falling twigs blown in the wind.  They are also secured by steel nails which rust away allowing the slates to slip.  There are a couple of areas where slates are missing which need attention currently, on the hall roof and the vestry roof.  Vandalism is unpredictable, and we hope will be reduced by our recent installation of video recording equipment.

Another persistent problem, has been the scourge of metal theft.  Many churches have large expanses of lead roofing, which is worth quite a lot, even as scrap.  We don’t have much lead, but we do have some narrow strips called “flashing” which prevent water from running down between the wall and the edge of the roof.  In the past we have had quite a few instances of strips of flashing been stolen.  The thieves, of course, don’t care what damage they do in removing their plunder, so it can leave a big and expensive repair job.  We’ve recently taken a few precautions to avoid this theft:  The more accessible pieces of flashing have been replaced with non-metallic alternatives which have no scrap value, whilst the larger pieces on the main roofs have been coated with a forensic device called “Smartwater”.  This makes them unique and traceable back to Holy Trinity.  The police can bring successful prosecution against anyone caught in possession of any of our lead.  We’ve also installed, as already mentioned, a video recording CCTV system to provide more evidence should anyone steal our lead in the future.

So next time you’re in church, spare a thought for the roof.  Have a look at the size of it.  It’s really quite impressive.  Think about how the church would look (and feel) without it.  And while I’m thinking of it: I’ve often thought that with the main roof slope facing due south and being inclined at a really good angle towards the sun, there must be a great opportunity to generate our own electricity from photovoltaic cells.  But that’s going to be another story…

In the service of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour

David Brown (assistant to the churchwarden)