Groby
Newtown Linford’s granite cottages and the older parts of Groby and Anstey, close to where the slate was quarried.
Roofing in Groby →Swithland slate is Leicestershire’s own heavy roofing slate, quarried in Charnwood Forest until 1908 and not since, so a Swithland roof has to be repaired and re-laid rather than replaced. We repair Swithland slate roofs, re-lay them to their original diminishing courses and source reclaimed Swithland slate to make up any shortfall, on houses, cottages and listed buildings across Charnwood and the villages around it.
Priced on survey: the cost depends on how many slates can be reused and how much reclaimed Swithland slate is needed. Free survey and written quote. See full price ranges for every job →
Spotting these early usually means a smaller, cheaper job. If any sound familiar, it's worth getting the roof looked at.
Refixing slipped slates and replacing broken ones with matched reclaimed slate, where the rest of the roof is sound.
Taking the slope off by hand, sorting every slate by length, renewing the laths and re-hanging the same slates to the original diminishing courses.
Sourced for the shortfall and sorted by thickness and colour so it sits with the roof’s own slate.
Where too little Swithland survives, another thick, random-sized natural stone slate laid to diminishing courses, agreed with the conservation officer on protected buildings.
A straightforward, no-pressure process from first call to finished job.
Newtown Linford’s granite cottages and the older parts of Groby and Anstey, close to where the slate was quarried.
Roofing in Groby →Common in Rothley, including the hipped roofs of the Rothley Ridgeway, and on a few older buildings in Syston and Queniborough.
Roofing in Syston & Rothley →Rare, but surviving on a few older buildings in the conservation area, which the council counts as part of the town’s character.
Roofing in Shepshed →Nos 3–9 Main Street, the Old Rectory and Old Glebe Farm in Glenfield’s conservation area.
Roofing in Glenfield & Braunstone →Enderby Hall, above walls of local granite.
Roofing in Enderby & Narborough →Hugglescote’s church of St John the Baptist; the town’s terraces were built with Welsh slate.
Roofing in Coalville →Yes. We repair Swithland slate roofs, re-lay them to their original diminishing courses, and source reclaimed Swithland slate when slates need replacing. We work on houses, cottages and listed buildings across Charnwood and the surrounding villages, from Groby and Newtown Linford to Rothley and Shepshed.
Yes. Nothing has been quarried in Charnwood Forest since the last Groby slate quarry closed in 1908, so every replacement Swithland slate is reclaimed from an older building. We source it for the shortfall and sort it by thickness and colour before it goes on, because reclaimed stock varies more than the slates on any one roof.
Yes. On a listed building, replacing the odd slipped slate like for like is maintenance, but re-covering a whole slope or changing the covering normally needs listed building consent. We tell you which side of that line your job falls on before anything is booked, and work to the materials and coursing the conservation officer expects.
Because the original cannot be put back afterwards. Thin Welsh or imported slate and concrete tiles look completely different on a roof built for thick, random-sized slate, and on a listed building or in a conservation area the change usually needs consent. Re-laying the roof on new laths with its own slate keeps its character and can give it decades more service.
It depends on how much of the roof can be reused. Refixing a few slipped slates is a small job; stripping and re-laying a whole slope, with reclaimed slate for the shortfall, is a larger one, and the reclaimed slate itself is scarce. We survey the roof and give a fixed written quote, free and without obligation.
Mostly on older buildings around Charnwood Forest: Swithland, Woodhouse Eaves, Quorn, Newtown Linford, Rothley, Anstey and Groby, with scattered examples in Shepshed, Glenfield, Syston and Queniborough, on Enderby Hall and on Hugglescote’s parish church. Coalville’s own terraces went up after the railway arrived and were roofed in Welsh slate instead.
The full background: Swithland Slate: Caring for Charnwood’s Historic Roofs — Swithland slate is Leicestershire’s own thick, purple-grey roofing slate, no longer quarried. How to recognise it, repair it and keep its value.
Pitched roofing is the classic sloped roof found on most Leicestershire homes, finished in slate, clay or concrete tiles.
Learn more →A roof repair fixes a localised fault — a leak, slipped or broken tiles, failed flashing, or storm damage — before water can reach your timbers, insulation and ceilings.
Learn more →A full roof survey flown by a CAA-registered drone operator — no scaffolding, no ladders, no disruption.
Learn more →Free, no-obligation quote · 15-year guarantee · £5 million public liability
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