JAL Roofing Begins Re-roofing Grade II Listed Burton Market Hall

RE-ROOFING of the Grade II listed Burton Market Hall has started, delivered by JAL Roofing.

The Derby-based experienced roofing contractor was appointed as main contractor by structural engineering and culture and heritage specialist contractor, Pick Everard, which will act as the lead design consultant and the client, East Staffordshire Council.

The Burton Market Hall building dates from 1883 and is a typical market hall of the Victorian period. The market hall was added to the National Heritage List by Historic England in 2022 due to its architectural importance in the town.

Its large roofs feature a pitched slate roof and ornate brickwork frontage with a striking centrally located ventilated lead turret, behind which are three saw-tooth double-sided elevations, covered by slate on one side and polycarbonate and metal sheeting on the other.

The roofs need refurbishing as they are leaking and the existing slate, lead, metal sheeting and polycarbonate coverings are all coming to the end of their life. East Staffordshire Borough Council granted planning permission in 2024 for extensive repairs and conservation work, although there is no work currently planned on the front turret.

John Lees, Managing Director of JAL Roofing, said: “We are really looking forward to working with Pick Everard and East Staffordshire Borough Council to bring this historic building back to its former glory for the local community and businesses.”

There is no temporary roof cover on this building, but JAL Roofing Ltd have scheduled the project in such a way as to minimise any weather ingress. The company has appointed UK Access Solutions Ltd to supply and design the scaffold with extensive scaffold on the external of the building but also installing a birdcage scaffold to the entire area of the hall inside.

Working with listed building consent, JAL Roofing will repair and replace Burton Market Hall roofs using like-for-like materials and skilled heritage roofing techniques, including slating and leadwork.

Saw-Tooth Roofs

The exception to like-for-like replacements is the elevations of the saw-tooth roofs where the polycarbonate and metal sheeting, which is thought to have been installed during a previous renovation, are brittle and corroded.

For the profiled metal sheeting, cleaning and recoating will be undertaken using a Liquasil system.

Replacing the polycarbonate sheets, and framed with an original cast iron support structure extending to columns reaching the ground floor, lead coated steel conservation glazing bars will be installed and new, non-fragile heritage patent single glazing panels will restore the roof’s original character. JAL Roofing Ltd have appointed The Standard Patent Glazing Company to supply and install their conservation-grade Heritage Glazing System in this area.

There’s also an interesting existing high level timber louvre panel slated in composite slate which has been agreed to be renewed with new composite slate, covering the upstand between the saw-tooth elevations and their ridges, which are formed of 5 courses of slate either side of the apex, which itself is covered by a lead ridge. The stepped lead valley gutters between the saw-tooth roofs are to be fully renewed with new code 8 lead, dressed into place using the existing build up.

For the pitched slate areas, there is a combination of Welsh 16×10 slate on the rear elevation and diminishing slate on the front. The roofs will be fully stripped, re-battened and breathable membrane installed, and the original slates will be reclaimed where possible. New rooflights and roof access hatches will be installed, while rainwater goods will be repaired and replaced.

The work has been planned within a winter-time window to avoid it taking place when bats are active in roosting sites and birds nesting. John Lees adds, “One consideration on the project is time. We only have until the end of February 2026 to get the works completed on the Market Hall as per the ecological report and bat survey.”

Preserving and Protecting

Rikesh Parmar, Associate for Building Surveying at Pick Everard, said: “Burton Market Hall is symbolic of the town’s identity and plays an important role in bringing together visitors and residents, shoppers and traders.

“Over the years, the roof has had isolated repairs carried out, but a recent survey of the building, undertaken by Pick Everard for East Staffordshire Borough Council, revealed that a full re-roof was required. This will not only help keep the building warm and dry but it will preserve the longevity of the market hall and protect its original character and heritage.

“The height of the roof was a key consideration in the planning of the works, due to its location being in the centre of the market town, along with the challenge of repairing the roof in a way which minimises disruption and damage to the internals during the autumn and winter months. This was a specific period for undertaking the works governed by the ecologist.

“Burton Market Hall is an iconic part of the town’s skyline and the scale and quality of the building reflects its prosperity in the late 19^th century. With the roofing works due to be completed in early 2026, we hope Burton Market Hall remains an economic driver for the town.”

Temporarily closed to the public during the renovation project, East Staffordshire Borough Council hopes to host a series of events at Burton Market Hall to mark its reopening in early summer after the work is completed.

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