Slate Roofing Middle Ages

Some homes were created with the promise of a slate roof in mind.

Slate roofing middle ages.

Although for much of the early medieval period thatch of one form or another predominated by the 12th century the most important buildings tended to be roofed in more permanent materials once again. There is evidence of the use of slate stone and clay tile roofing materials in britain dating back to roman times. The myth of the middle ages as a dark age does not lie in the fact that things declined markedly after the fall of rome they did. Durability and low maintenance.

The evidence as at present known is summarized in the map fig. Straw usually termed thatch. A slate roof will easily last over 100 years which is at least double of what other roofing materials can offer. Many slate tile manufacturers offer up to 100 year warranty on their products.

That s because it s chiseled from real rock to form shingles. Slate was commonly used as a roofing material for rich houses due to its low water absorption properties fixing is typically with double nails onto timber battens england and wales or nailed directly onto timber sarking boards scotland and northern ireland. Documentary sources and excavated evidence have both shown that blue slate occurring naturally in the older rock formations of the more westerly parts of britain was used to a considerable extent for roofing during the middle ages in a wide area of southern england. Nails were traditionally of copper.

Slate or shale lovely stuff. Lumber the spaces between the logs would have been chinked with clay wattle soil and turf anything to keep out the rain wind and snow. Historically slate was used as roofing on castles and churches to protect them from the elements extreme weather and most importantly from fire. There is for instance only one historic reference to slate as roofing material at medieval buildings.

It s very strong and very durable but it s also very heavy. What did medieval houses use for roofs. This document written by bishop arne in 1308 concerns king haakon s hall in bergen built from the middle of the 13th century onward. Slate is naturally fireproof and waterproof and when installed by an experienced slate roofing company and cared for correctly can last for decades or even centuries.

Our tiles are engineered to be lighter to resist impact and to maintain their color longer. Slate roofing has been in use since the middle ages and is seen in exceptional architecture throughout the world. Davinci slate delivers on that promise with its astonishing versatility. It lies in the idea that this situation persisted until.