Newport, South Wales
Project Overview
Newport, South Wales
Service: Roofing
Sector: Heritage & Conservation
- Approved Contractor: MLG UK Ltd
- System Installed: Polyroof system with simulated lead finish
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Work Carried Out: Heritage roofing, liquid waterproofing with simulated lead detailing
Scope of Work
Newport City Council’s heritage team signed this off before a drop went down: a modern liquid system, finished to look like lead. MLG replaced the lead roof with a Polyroof system, matching trims and detailing included.
- Existing lead roof replaced with a Polyroof system
- Simulated lead finish with matching trims and detailing
- Approved by Newport City Council heritage prior to installation
Systems installed
- Waterproofing: Polyroof system with simulated lead finish
- Trims: Simulated lead trims and detailing (Polyroof)
Challenges & Constraints
Appearance had to hold
On a heritage building the roof has to look like lead, so any replacement had to preserve the appearance of genuine leadwork.
What lead brings
Genuine leadwork carries cost, lead time, theft risk and a maintenance burden, all of which the building would have inherited again.
Approval before installation
Any alternative to lead had to satisfy the conservation authority before it went anywhere near the building.
Project Execution & Techniques
Taken through heritage
MLG proposed the Polyroof system with a simulated lead finish and took it through Newport City Council’s heritage team, which approved it before installation rather than after.
Lead stripped out
The existing lead roof was removed and replaced with a Polyroof liquid waterproofing system.
Trims made to match
Simulated lead trims and detailing were specified to match, so the completed roof reads as lead across the whole covering.
Liquid, not leadwork
Beneath the finish the roof performs as a modern liquid system rather than as leadwork.
Outcome & Long-Term Benefits
The conservation authority satisfied
The finished roof satisfies Newport City Council’s heritage team on appearance, which is the test the building had to pass.
Cost and lead time
The building gets the heritage appearance without the cost and lead time that come with genuine leadwork.
Theft risk removed
A simulated finish carries none of the theft risk that a lead roof brings with it.
Lower maintenance burden
The roof performs as a modern liquid system, so it outperforms lead on maintenance for the rest of its life.
Conclusion
Replacing a lead roof on a heritage building is a conservation question before it is a roofing one. Genuine leadwork preserves the appearance but brings cost, lead time, theft risk and a maintenance burden, and any alternative has to satisfy the conservation authority first.
MLG proposed a Polyroof system with a simulated lead finish, with trims and detailing specified to match, and took it to Newport City Council’s heritage team for approval before installation rather than after. The completed roof reads as lead and performs as a modern liquid system. It is direct evidence of MLG working with a Welsh conservation authority on its own terms.
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