Few parts of Newcastle mix old and new as sharply as the Quayside. Within a short walk you pass the timber-framed frontage of Bessie Surtees House on Sandhill, Georgian and Victorian merchants' buildings, a converted Co-operative warehouse and the apartment blocks and offices that went up after East Quayside was redeveloped from the late 1980s.
That variety means roofs here range from natural slate and lead to large flat roofs, roof terraces and balconies sealed with modern membranes. Newcastle Roofs carries out roofing work along the Quayside for residents, management companies, landlords and businesses, with free quotes and no call-out charge. This page covers the roofs you are likely to find on the riverside, what the setting does to them and how work is organised in a busy waterfront district.
A riverside shaped by fire and redevelopment
The Newcastle side of the Tyne was once a crowded commercial quay threaded with chares, the narrow medieval lanes running up from the river. The city once had about twenty of them. On 6 and 7 October 1854 a fire and explosion that began in Gateshead spread to the Newcastle waterfront, destroying several chares outright and tearing the roof off the Custom House.
Some lanes survive, including Plummer Chare and Trinity Chare, which leads to eighteenth-century almshouses. The Custom House itself dates from 1766 and was refronted in 1833. After the docks declined, the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation redeveloped East Quayside from the late 1980s, bringing the Law Courts, offices, bars and new housing to the riverside. Much of the historic Quayside sits within the Central Conservation Area, extended to cover it in 1981.
Flat roofs, terraces and balconies on modern blocks
Many Quayside homes are apartments in blocks from the last few decades. Their roofs are often flat or very low-pitched, finished in single-ply membranes such as TPO or PVC, EPDM rubber, felt or fibreglass. Penthouse terraces and balconies sit directly over the flats below, so any failure in the waterproofing shows up inside quickly.
The weak points on these roofs are usually the details rather than the open field of membrane:
- outlets and drains blocked by leaves, litter or bird nesting material
- upstands where the membrane turns up a parapet or plant housing
- seams that have lifted on older single-ply or felt
- damage from planters, furniture or foot traffic on terraces
- sealant around rooflights and access hatches that has perished
On blocks with a lift motor room or plant enclosure on the roof, check the small pitched or flat roofs over those structures too. They are easy to forget and often drain straight onto the main membrane.
Our single-ply and flat roof repair services cover both targeted fixes and full replacement when a covering has reached the end of its life.
Slate, lead and timber frames on the older buildings
Bessie Surtees House is a Grade I listed pair of merchants' houses from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, one keeping its original timber-framed façade. The former Co-operative warehouse of 1900, now the Malmaison hotel, and the Custom House are both Grade II listed. Alongside them are Victorian commercial buildings with slate roofs, lead valleys and parapets.
Repairs on these buildings start with matching the existing materials: natural slate, properly detailed lead, and mortar suited to old stone and brick. Any work that would change the appearance of a listed building, such as new rooflights or different roof coverings, is likely to need listed building consent from the council. We can photograph and describe the roof to help with that conversation, but the council decides.
Living on the waterfront: wind, damp air and birds
The river corridor leaves Quayside roofs more exposed than those in the sheltered streets uphill. Wind travelling along the valley can catch the edges of membranes, loose flashings and roof-mounted equipment, and damp air rising off the water means gutters and flat roofs rarely dry out completely in winter.
Gulls and pigeons are a constant presence by the river. Nests block outlets and gutters, and droppings left on a membrane or around lead speed up wear. Bird deterrents, regular outlet clearing and a check after the breeding season all help.
Metal also needs attention. Steel fixings, flashings and standing seam or profiled sheet roofs on commercial units can corrode where coatings have been scratched, so we look closely at cut edges, screws and laps during an inspection.
Organising work on a busy riverside
The Quayside is a working, visited place, with offices, bars, restaurants and riverside events. Scaffolding or access equipment on a pavement needs a council licence, and deliveries have to work around pedestrians and limited parking. On the steep lanes and stairs leading up from the river, materials may need to be carried in by hand.
In apartment blocks, the roof normally belongs to the freeholder or is managed by a management company, so leaseholders usually report problems to them first. We are happy to quote for management companies and to supply written reports with photographs that can be shared with residents. For leaks out of hours, our 24/7 emergency service can make the roof safe.
