Lancashire · Burnley borough
Lancashire roofers covering Burnley: gritstone terraces under Welsh slate
- Free quote, no obligation
- Call or text the same number
- Covering Burnley and nearby
Slates sliding off a terrace, or a tea-coloured patch growing above the bed? Peak Roofing is a roofing company based in Lancashire. Burnley and Padiham are both covered, for slipped slates, leaking stacks, flat roofs and full re-roofs. One thing worth knowing: Burnley’s older houses were first roofed with sandstone flags, until lighter, cheaper Welsh slate took over.
Burnley roofs: stone walls, slate tops and shared stacks
The 2021 Census finds 46% of Burnley households living in terraces, almost half. Semis follow on 31%, detached homes on 13% and flats on 10%. In Valuation Office Agency records, 43% of homes predate 1919, about double the England and Wales share of 21%. Roughly a quarter belong to the years 1945 to 1982, and roofs of that era are usually concrete interlocking tiles.
Lancashire County Council’s 2005 town assessment puts 90% of pre-1914 buildings in gritstone, with brick kept mostly for industrial and commercial use. Stone terraces often share a ridge line and stacks with the neighbours. A fault on one house can therefore show up inside another. Padiham leans older still: 59% terraced and 48% pre-1919.
Burnley roof faults we check before anything else
- Stacks shared with neighbours A terrace stack usually serves two homes, so its pointing, flaunching and lead matter to both.
- Nail-sick slates Welsh slate itself lasts well. The nails holding it usually rust through first, and slates start to slide.
- Felt over rear extensions Flat roofs on back kitchens and dormers are often where a terrace lets rain in first.
- Gutters against gritstone An overflowing gutter soaks the stone wall, and from inside that damp can pass for a roof leak.
Burnley weather: rain with hardly a dry season
Stonyhurst, the closest Met Office station to Burnley, collects 1,315 mm over a typical year. What stands out is how evenly it falls. May, the quietest month, still sees about 12 days with 1 mm or more, and December brings 159 mm by itself. A cracked slate here seldom gets a dry spell to wait in.
Burnley conservation areas and listed roofs
Burnley Borough Council lists ten conservation areas, among them Burnley Wood, Canalside, Harle Syke, Padiham, Palatine and Worsthorne. Its guidance asks owners to match original or traditional materials and methods. Slater Terrace at Sandygate is a Grade II example. It is eleven cottages over a warehouse, built about 1848 to 1850 in coursed sandstone. Its hipped roof is slate. For a listed house, or one in those areas, ask the council first before slate gives way to anything else.
Burnley Borough Council
How a roof job in Burnley runs
- Call or text Peak Roofing, or send the form, with what you can see.
- We look at the roof itself, not just the stain inside.
- You get the price before any work starts.
Roofing services covering Burnley
Peak Roofing
Roofers covering Burnley
Lancashire roofers covering Burnley and the towns round it. One number for calls and texts.
Questions
Burnley roofs: questions
Why do a few Burnley roofs still have heavy stone flags?
They were the first covering. The county council’s town assessment says Welsh slate only arrived for some buildings because it weighed less and cost less. Many roofs were re-covered later. Flags are heavy, so the timbers underneath need checking before any are lifted.
Is Padiham covered as well as Burnley?
Yes. Its homes are even more terraced than Burnley’s, 59% in the 2021 Census. Slates, ridges and shared stacks are the usual things to check there. The council names a Padiham conservation area too. More on roof repairs.
Water runs down my chimney breast after heavy rain. Is the stack to blame?
On an older Burnley terrace it often is. Typical entry points are the lead where it meets the stack, cracked flaunching on top, and worn pointing. With rain spread right through the year, the stone rarely dries out between showers. See chimney repairs.
Nearby
Roofers covering towns near Burnley
Also covered with Burnley: Padiham.
Where the facts on this page come from
- ONS Census 2021, TS044 Accommodation type (Nomis), output areas in the ONS 2022 built-up area: Households by accommodation type in Burnley: 13% detached, 31% semi-detached, 46% terraced, 10% flats (32,540 households). Read 2026-11-05.
- Valuation Office Agency: Council Tax stock of properties 2026, table CTSOP4.1 (build period), LSOAs in the built-up area: Homes by build period in Burnley: 43% before 1919, 13% 1919-1939, 24% 1945-1982, 20% since 1983 (England and Wales: 21% before 1919). Read 2026-11-05.
- Met Office: Stonyhurst climate station, 1991-2020 averages: 1,314.5 mm of rain a year, 175.4 days with 1 mm or more. Read 2026-11-05.
- Burnley Borough Council: conservation areas: Ten conservation areas: Burnley Wood, Canalside, Harle Syke, Hurstwood, Jib Hill, Padiham, Palatine, Top O' Th' Town, Burnley Town Centre, Worsthorne; care should be taken to match original/traditional materials and methods of construction Read 2026-11-05.
- Lancashire County Council: Burnley Historic Town Assessment Report (May 2005): 90% of pre-1914 structures built of gritstone, 10% brick, brick largely confined to industrial and commercial structures; roofs originally covered in sandstone flags, Welsh slate imported for some buildings because it was cheaper and lighter, many roofs since changed to lighter substitutes Read 2026-11-05.
- British Listed Buildings: Slater Terrace, Burnley (Historic England 1244978): Grade II; terrace of 11 cottages over a warehouse, c1848-50; coursed squared sandstone, hipped slate roof Read 2026-11-05.