Roofing, leadwork and stone repair:
Clackmannan Town Hall
Clackmannan · 2022
Clackmannan Town Hall is a group of civic buildings: a red sandstone Town House with stepped gables and dormers, a buff sandstone Main Hall and Western Hall, and a library, arranged around a small courtyard. The repairs were designed by Austin-Smith:Lord for HUB East Central Scotland and delivered by Hadden Construction. We were appointed as specialist subcontractor for the cleaning, lead, roofing, rainwater, render and masonry packages. The restoration of the Tolbooth won the Conservation Award at the Stirling Society of Architects Awards 2025.
The challenge
Water had been getting into the buildings through the roofs, valleys, gutters and chimneys, and the specification called for rot treatment to roof timbers and repair of the water damaged finishes below. The Town House front stands directly onto a narrow one-way street, so cleaning and scaffolding had to be planned around the pavement. The red sandstone carried heavy algae and moss and had to be cleaned without abrasion. Existing slates, lead ventilators and rooflights had to be retained or matched, and the three roofs, the hidden courtyard and the library all needed phasing so the buildings could be decanted in stages.
Our solution
The sandstone was cleaned with the DOFF steam system, set against an agreed trial panel and adjusted for each surface, with wash water collected and controlled. Bird deterrent spikes and plant growth were removed by hand. The roofs were stripped and re-slated using the existing slates where sound and best quality second hand Scottish slates to match where not, fixed with stainless steel clout nails over a breathable underlay. Leadwork covered valleys, gables, dormers, wall-head gutters and the lead clad ridge ventilators, which were repaired to match the originals. Failed stone was cut out and replaced in matching red or buff sandstone, bedded and pointed in non-hydraulic lime putty and sand, with NHL 5 for skew copings and dowelled finials. A cement-free lime repair mortar was used where earlier repairs had been made, the gables were rendered in lime, windows were sealed with coloured burnt sand mastic and rainwater goods were refitted across all elevations.
Outcomes
Weathertight roofs
Slating, lead valleys, gutters and ventilators repaired across the Town House, Main Hall and Western Hall.
Sandstone cleaned and repaired
Algae and moss removed by controlled steam cleaning, and failed stone replaced like for like.
Lime-based repairs throughout
Lime mortars, render and burnt sand mastic chosen to suit the original sandstone fabric.
Conservation Award 2025
The restoration of Clackmannan Tolbooth won the Conservation Award at the Stirling Society of Architects Awards 2025, with LTM as the specialist masonry, roofing and leadwork subcontractor.
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