Slate is a durable, long-lasting roofing material, which is exactly why so much of it survives on Montpelier's older housing stock decades after it was first laid. Durability, however, is not the same as invincibility, and strong wind can still crack slates, work them loose from their fixings, or lift them just enough that the next gust sends them sliding off the roof entirely.
The fixing nails used to secure slate are often the real weak point rather than the slate itself. Over many years, these can corrode or work loose in their timber battens, and while the slate might sit perfectly well in calm weather, a sustained storm can be enough to finally free it. This is why some slate loss after a storm happens on roofs that looked entirely sound the week before, rather than only on roofs with obvious pre-existing problems.
A single slipped or missing slate exposes the roofing felt underneath in the same way a missing tile would, and left unaddressed this can lead to water ingress that damages timber and insulation below. On steeper period roofs typical of Montpelier terraces, a missing slate can also be a hazard in its own right, since a dislodged slate falling from height is no small thing on a street with pedestrians and parked cars below.
Not all slate is equal, either. Some roofs across Montpelier were originally laid with a good quality, thicker slate that has genuinely stood the test of time, while others, particularly where re-roofing was done more cheaply at some point in the past, used a thinner or lower-grade slate that is noticeably more prone to cracking under storm stress. Recognising which type is on a given roof helps us judge whether a storm is likely to cause an isolated, one-off problem or the first sign of more widespread wear still to come. We will always point this out honestly during an inspection, rather than treating every slate roof as if it were made from the same material and likely to behave identically in future storms.
Repairing slate properly means matching the replacement as closely as possible in size and thickness, refitting it using appropriate methods rather than just sealant, and checking neighbouring slates for the same kind of nail fatigue that likely caused the original failure. Where damage is more widespread across a slope, it may be more sensible to consider re-slating that section rather than patching slate by slate indefinitely.
If a storm has left slates missing, cracked, or slipped on your Montpelier roof, it is worth having it looked at properly rather than assuming a single missing slate is a minor issue. We offer free inspections and can advise honestly on whether a targeted repair or a more extensive fix makes sense, with all completed work covered by our 15-year guarantee, so you can be confident the repair is built to last rather than simply patched over.
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