As a subject, ‘shingles’ is much discussed as a disease but dismissed virtually out of hand as a roofing material.’ The traditional oak shingle or wooden tile, although considered by many to be second rate, even lowlier than thatch, is a roofing material with a proven pedigree. As such it should still be considered when discussing traditional building methods.

The early history of shingles and their use appears in much documentary evidence. John Harvey,2 writing in Mediaeval Craftsmen’ found evidence for shingles on buildings of ‘higher standing’ from the 8th century. The writings of Vitruvius tell us about them in Roman times.3 Their continuing popularity was later challenged, especially in the southeast, where, following the early development of the clay-tile industry, by the 14th century it was found to be as cheap to roof buildings with clay tiles as with shingles. A similar challenge was made by stone and slate tiles in the north and west.

Salzman’s Building in England4 contains many references to shingles in both the 13th and 14th centuries. The great royal builder/architect Henry III was roofing buildings at Woodstock with shingles in 1248, but by 1260 on the Great Kitchen roof at Marlborough he was replacing them with tiles, and reusing the shingles to upgrade the roof to the chamber in the High Tower which was previously thatched. There is a reference from 1238 to the purchase of nails for shingles at Marlborough. If these had been for the Kitchen roof (then just over 20 years old) the re-use of shingles would have been an economic proposition. Similarly, when the old St. Paul’s Belfry was recovered at the end of the 14th century John Harvey notes that 4,000 old shingles and 10,500 new shingles (schyngel) were used. Unfortunately it is not possible to

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