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Preserving heritage at Stonebridge School
The project
When the Grade II Listed Stonebridge School in North London, originally built in 1898, needed a complete roof refurbishment, contractors Breyer Group knew a sensitive approach would be required.
The project wouldn’t only span the main school building which included various pitched roofs but extended to the caretaker’s house, kitchens and the nursery block, totalling over 1,100sqm of roof space. While these additional elements added further weight to the project, it was the main school block itself that took centre stage.
The school received Listed status in 2009, owing largely to the architectural significance of the building. Its distinctive Queen Anne style detailing delivers a striking appearance, reflecting the high standards of school design achieved in some urban areas at the time of construction. As part of this design, the red clay roof tiles make a significant contribution to the school’s appearance and, therefore, needed to be considered carefully during its refurbishment.
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The Challenge
Having served the local community for more than 120 years, the roof refurbishment at Stonebridge School was required to maintain the Listed building and ensure its long-term future. The sensitive nature of the project meant that work would need to be carried out by a roofing specialist familiar with working on heritage buildings – which is where Breyer Group came in.
With experience of preserving the architectural character of heritage buildings and breathing new life into them to secure their future, Breyer Group chose the Redland Rosemary Clay Classic plain tiles in Red for the project to provide a like-for-like replacement.
Alongside working on a live site, with the project carried out during term time, the contractor team needed to contend with a series of other challenges. From roof voids that were filled with hazardous quantities of dust and cleaning up after previous pigeon inhabitants, through to restoring period detailing and working with a conservation officer, the contractor team needed to be agile to keep the project on track.
The Solution: Rosemary Clay Plain Tiles
The two core aims of the roof refurbishment at Stonebridge School were preserving the building’s historical aesthetic and delivering longevity through proven performance.
Redland’s Rosemary Clay Classic plain tiles were selected to fulfil those requirements, crucially allowing Breyer Group to sensitively replace the school’s original tiles – a crucial aspect of heritage projects where Listed status requires works to meet specific requirements.
Rosemary tiles have been in production since 1837, and have become a reliable choice for use on heritage properties. Combining the aesthetics of traditional tiles with the performance and reliability of modern engineered systems, Rosemary delivers on every front.
Alongside the tiles used on the roof of Stonebridge School, Breyer Group also carried out works to upgrade insulation across the buildings to meet U-value current regulations, replacing leadwork and chimney stacks, installing a pre-patinated copper dome and overhauling intricate gothic detailing across the building.
The Impact: preserving heritage for the future
From an aesthetic point of view, the re-roofing of the Stonebridge School – including several outbuildings and the Listed caretaker’s house – delivered a visually stunning finish. The beauty of the Rosemary clay tiles reflects the proud architectural heritage of the Victorian building. Alongside this, the traditional craftsmanship and outstanding workmanship delivered by Breyer Group elevated the complete appearance of the school buildings.
The Breyer Group team’s positive relationship with the school staff set apart their efforts and they arranged an event in which the school children could create “time-capsule tiles” for the project. The children decorated the tiles and signed their names for future generations to find before they were added to the new roof.
The choice of materials, together with the high-quality craftsmanship of the roofing contractors, has enhanced the performance of the school buildings for local pupils for decades to come. Meanwhile, the beauty of the Rosemary tiles secures the building’s aesthetic, one of the last nineteenth-century buildings still standing in its neighbourhood, preserving its Listed heritage for the local community.
Discover the Stonebridge School Project
