Heritage Roof Repairs Resume After Chicks Hatch in Chimney

Work to fix the leaking roof of the Grade II* listed All Saints Church in Lindfield is back underway after construction was halted when a nest containing five jackdaw eggs was discovered.

Jackdaws are a small black crow with a silvery sheen on the back of their heads and often nest in chimneys.

Nest Discovered

The nest was discovered after chartered building company Pilbeam Construction secured a bat licence to begin stripping the roof tiles on the building, known locally as ‘The Tiger’.

The team, which specialises in restoring heritage buildings, was asked to step in after a structural survey revealed that the medieval timber framed building needed repairs.

Work started in February 2026 but in April, the chicks were found nesting in the south end roof void and the chimney within the slate roof.

The birds fledged in June and Pilbeam have now been able to continue stripping the roof of The Tiger.

Alan Corbett, Pilbeam Managing Director, said: “Our team had been hard at work to restore the roof of All Saints Church but it seemed the jackdaws decided to join in too.

“Project delays can present challenges for us, but our priority was the safety of the birds. We decided to pause all work on the project to make sure that we didn’t distress or disturb the parents and their chicks.

“After the birds had safely flown their nest, we got back on track to repair the roof and give the community a much-improved space, safeguarding it for future generations.”

Legal Protection

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 all active birds’ nests receive legal protection, with all nests considered active until the parents and chicks have left the site.

The jackdaws in the roof of The Tiger hatched at the start of May. As no new or additional nests formed in the weeks after their hatching, work to strip the roof could start again on 18 June.

Pilbeam took the decision to halt the project across the entire roof following the birth of the chicks as the parents became much more protective of the nest site and were at greater risk of distress, which puts the survival of the chicks at risk.

Sally-Ann Hurry, the ecologist consultant supporting Pilbeam with the project, said: “It’s extremely important that the safety of these birds comes first. It was great to see the team taking an extra step to make sure that the jackdaws remained completely undisturbed.

“We were pleased to see that the birds had vacated the building by the middle of June, which meant that the roof stripping could continue.”

During the pause to the project, the team protected the site and the jackdaws and limited the chance of further birds nesting in the roof.

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