Slate Roof Restoration & Replacement - Heritage Buildings
Slate Roofs Didn't Leak - Bark Did!
Welsh slate came to Australian shores in the early 1800s and its link with our heritage is profound.
Early dwellings often had bark roofs and sometimes shingles made from red cedar or casuarina - but they were not perfect waterproofing materials. Slate arriving here as ballast was cheap, tough, and remarkably durable – but best of all totally impermeable to water!
Slate Durability Impressed the Colony's Governors
Slate was the obvious long term roofing solution for the early civic buildings and churches. The original slate on some of these lovely old buildings is still performing well today – a testament to the wisdom of the early governors, architects and builders.
Roof Ventilation - The Key to Slate Longevity
Sometimes hail storms have damaged roofs on heritage buildings so they have been replaced. In other cases, poor ventilation has allowed moisture to build up in the roof cavity making the slates fret and go soft. Sometimes wooden battens and nails have failed so the roofs have been stripped and new slates have been used instead of replacing the originals.
Slate Roofs - A Collection of Images of Wonderful Heritage Buildings
This section presents a selection of new and original slate on the roofs of some of the finest heritage buildings in Australia.
