MAJOR roof repairs are starting at Wentworth Woodhouse after slates from the Lake District quarry where the originals came from arrived.

Westmorland slate was originally used on the house’s roof in the 18th century, and bosses at Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which is overseeing the restoration of the Grade I listed stately home, felt it important to retain original materials where possible.

“Sourcing traditional materials is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for conservation architects and skilled craftsmen working on heritage properties. And this particular type of slate is now only available from a small number of quarries,” said Caroline Drake of Donald Insall Associates, conservation architects appointed to oversee the roofing works.

The project team eventually managed to find the right slate at Burlington Stone’s Elterwater Quarry - and discovered it was the same place which had supplied the Marquess of Rockingham when Wentworth Woodhouse was built.

“We are so pleased to say that the first slates are now here, they were worth the wait and they are going straight onto the most vulnerable areas of the roof over the East Front. We have a team of experts guiding us in the process,” said the preservation trust CEO, Sarah McLeod.

Donald Insall Associates are the architects behind the restoration of Windsor Castle after it was ravaged by fire in 1992, and are currently conservation architects for the refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament.

Aura Conservation, specialists in the conservation of historic and listed buildings, will be undertaking the roof repairs using the £7.6m of funding announced in the Chancellor’s 2016 budget. More than 100 tonnes of Westmorland slate will be needed to complete the repairs.

As each new slate is laid, roofers will carefully lift and stack the old slate - as many as possible need to be salvaged for re-use on other areas of the huge 3,250sqm roof.

Historic England is administering the government grant and supporting the trust in its work. Giles Proctor, Heritage At Risk Architect at Historic England, said: “The repairs are just in time and will help to secure the future of this wonderful house. Wentworth Woodhouse has much to contribute towards the regeneration of the wider area.”

The trust has high hopes that a number of the new pale green slates will have another special feature linking back to the past - and is asking supporters to join its Make Your Mark In History appeal and sponsor a slate. Go to wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk