Hever Castle, once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, is now also home to the Brookhurst Wentworth natural clay roof tile. It was specified for the refurbishment of a variety of buildings in the grounds of the castle including the Courtyard Shop and Head Gardener’s offices.
Chief executive of Hever Castle, Duncan Leslie, said: “The roof tiles look really very good indeed and blend beautifully within this established site. In fact, the roof tiles used on a more recent building adjacent to the refurbished Courtyard Shop are quite inappropriate by comparison. Eventually we would hope to replace them with the Brookhurst Wentworth.
“This tile has an authentic hand crafted appearance which immediately looks far better than the more commonly available machine made versions. It would have been very expensive and difficult to source a number of authentic reclaimed tiles to complete this project so the Wentworth is a great find.”
Iain Webster, director of Sahtas UK, distributor of Brookhurst tiles, said: “This is another successful project on which the Brookhurst hand-made tile has been specified and we are proud of the traditional aesthetic that it has helped to create. It is a small project by many standards, but few have this hallmark of authenticity.”
The soft sand granulation on the tile surface allows the tiles to weather and mellow rapidly; this aging gives the impact of a matured roof in a very short time. Brookhurst also have a vast inventory of bespoke designs, intricate and unique shapes and varied components with refined colour matches – essential where extensive renovation is undertaken with conservation regulations in place.
Polegate Roofing, East Sussex, a specialist roofing contractor serving the counties of Sussex and Kent and a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen, carried out the tile application. “We take on all types of tile and slate roofing projects and specialise in re-roofing works to older properties such as churches, manor houses, period and listed buildings,” said Ian Mepham, director.
“We were immediately impressed with the colour, quality and durability of the Brookhurst tile, not to mention an extremely competitive price. We have increasingly specified the Wentworth since using it on the Hever Estate and we always receive good feedback, which we attribute to the aesthetic of the tile. The Brookhurst range of tiles and fittings blend well with reclaimed tiles, blending old with new, for a weathered and authentic appearance, even to new roofs.”
