This beautiful sandstone parish church has been a landmark in Ulverston for centuries. The south porch, added in the Victorian era, has a pitched slate roof that abuts the main nave wall. The lead step flashings at this junction — probably original Victorian lead — had developed fatigue cracks along multiple fold lines, allowing rainwater to penetrate the abutment and run down the interior face of the nave wall. More seriously, the concealed box gutter behind the porch parapet had failed completely. This gutter, lined with lead sheet, collected water from both the porch roof and a section of the nave roof above, discharging through a lead-lined outlet into a rainwater pipe. The lead lining had corroded through in two places, and the oak gutter boards beneath had become saturated and begun to rot, allowing the lead to sag and pool water rather than drain it. Water was running through the rotted boards into the porch interior, damaging the ornate Victorian timber ceiling and staining the flagstone floor. The church wardens had been managing the problem with buckets for two winters before securing funding for a proper repair.
Working under a faculty from the diocese — the ecclesiastical equivalent of listed building consent — we erected internal and external scaffold to provide safe access while protecting the church furnishings below. The existing lead flashings and gutter lining were carefully stripped, with the old lead retained for recycling through a licensed dealer. The oak gutter boards were inspected, and two 1.2-metre sections were found to be rotten and were replaced with new air-dried oak to match. We specified sand-cast lead rather than machine-milled for this listed building — sand-cast lead has a slightly uneven surface texture that weathers to match the patina of historic lead more authentically. New Code 7 sand-cast lead was used for the box gutter lining, formed in bays with proper roll joints to accommodate thermal expansion across the full gutter length. The gutter falls were checked and adjusted where the replacement boards were installed to ensure positive drainage to the outlet. The porch abutment received new Code 5 sand-cast lead step flashings let into freshly raked joints in the nave stonework, with Code 4 soakers beneath the slate courses. The lead outlet was relined and dressed into the hopper head, completing a fully integrated water management system from ridge to drain.
The restored porch has been completely dry through a full year including an exceptionally wet Cumbrian winter. The timber ceiling, which had begun to show signs of fungal attack, has dried out and been treated by a specialist conservator. The sand-cast lead has already begun to develop the characteristic patina that blends with the historic fabric of this Ulverston landmark. The church wardens have expressed their gratitude that the work was carried out with such sensitivity to the building's significance — the new leadwork is virtually indistinguishable from the Victorian original, and the church can now focus on its mission rather than its buckets. This project demonstrates Mr Roofer UK's capability in heritage lead work at the highest level.
Sand-cast lead is manufactured using the traditional method of pouring molten lead across a bed of prepared sand, producing a sheet with a slightly textured surface and small natural variations in thickness. While more expensive than machine-milled lead, sand-cast lead is the specified material for work on listed buildings and churches because it weathers to a patina that is visually identical to historic leadwork. The manufacturing process also produces a denser, more crystalline structure that many conservation specialists believe offers superior long-term durability. For this Ulverston church, sand-cast lead was a requirement of the diocesan faculty.
The box gutter was lined with Code 7 lead — at 3.15mm thick, this is the heaviest grade commonly used in roofing. Code 7 is specified for box gutters because the lead must support its own weight plus standing water, and must resist the thermal fatigue caused by pooling water that heats and cools more slowly than a drained surface. The additional thickness provides a gutter lining with an expected lifespan exceeding 150 years — appropriate for a building of this historical significance.
The porch abutment step flashings used Code 5 (2.24mm) sand-cast lead, providing a robust flashing weight that resists wind uplift on this exposed church elevation while being workable enough to dress neatly into the irregular sandstone joints. Code 5 lead at this position has an expected lifespan comfortably exceeding 100 years.
The replacement gutter boards were cut from air-dried English oak to match the original Victorian timber. Air-dried oak has superior dimensional stability compared to kiln-dried timber, and its natural tannin content provides inherent resistance to fungal decay. Oak has been the traditional substrate for lead-lined gutters on churches for centuries — its longevity in this application is measured in generations rather than decades.
From heritage church restorations to residential flashing repairs, Mr Roofer UK provides specialist lead work services across Ulverston and the Furness peninsula. Our skilled leadworkers are experienced in both modern and traditional techniques, including sand-cast lead for listed buildings. Contact us today for a free survey and quotation on any roofing project.
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