St Luke, a vibrant evangelical-style Victorian church, is located at the heart of Southsea. This Grade II listed building was designed by Thomas Hellyer. The nave, aisles, apse and a 'west' gallery, all have references to Norman style. The church is built with bricks, but the building’s exterior is made of flint with stone dressings. Although St Luke’s church hasn’t undergone any significant changes since its establishment, its Welsh slate roof has recently required substantial re-roofing.

Clarke Roofing, a family business covering Sussex, Surrey, East Hampshire, Kent and South London, was appointed to undertake St Luke’s roofing works. Over the years, Clarke Roofing has earned a reputation for excellence, professionalism and craftsmanship within the roofing and building industry. To secure the finest materials to cover the unique needs of diverse projects, the company partners with leading manufacturers and suppliers.

The roof of St Luke’s charge consists of lower slate roofs on the north and south aisles, and upper slate roofs on the north and south elevation, which include five dormer windows on each side. The east elevation (apse) is a curved roof running into the upper slate roof of the north and south elevation. The church was completely re-slated in 1996, using the original sound slates and around 30% new Welsh slates.

Unfortunately, the old slates had continued to degrade significantly. Thus, it was decided that the nave, including the dormers, the apse, the north and south aisles, the boiler room and the south porch roof had to be re-slated.

The most complex part of this project was the curved shape of the apse roof, forming part of the north and south elevations' upper roof. The original roof structure was stripped, and Clarke Roofing’s carpenters and slaters made some additional modifications to remove a needless step at the intersection of the apse and nave. Once completed, the roof was then meticulously assessed and prepared to ensure a solid foundation for the new roof covering, including Roofshield®.

Renowned for its consistent performance and reliability, Roofshield® was fitted to the roof structure by Clarke Roofing’s skilled team with the proper overlaps and no gaps or wrinkles. Industry tried and tested for nearly three decades, Roofshield® provides optimal breathability and protection, allowing moisture vapour to escape from the roof space while preventing water ingress. What’s more, Roofshield® helps preserve a roof's original architectural appeal since it renders away the need for visible vents or extra ventilation. Clarke Roofing completed the re-roofing of St Luke’s Church using new Welsh slates.

Thanks to its superior breathability, Roofshield®, the original and UK-made air and vapour permeable underlay that revolutionised the roofing industry, effectively preventing issues like condensation and mould growth. This ensures a healthy indoor environment and prolongs the life of the roof and the overall structure.

Roofshield® is BBA-certified for use in unventilated cold and warm pitched roofs, in both fully supported and unsupported roofing applications. It’s also NSAI-certified and NHBC-accepted. Roofshield’s wind uplift resistance allows use all over the UK (zones 1-5) while it can withstand challenges posed by external factors such as UV radiation and temperature fluctuations. It’s worth noting that Roofshield® comes with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) report that provides objective, comparable and third-party verified data regarding its environmental performance.