Preserving Whitekirk history

By The Coffee Shops®. 

See how the Bain and Irvine team carefully preserved a Category A listed family home in East Lothian. 

Historic roofing work requires more than routine maintenance, especially when the building carries centuries of architectural and community history. In Whitekirk, East Lothian, a Category A listed 17th-century family home recently received specialist roof care from the team at Bain and Irvine. The goal with this project was to focus on preserving the building’s traditional materials and protecting the structure from long-term water ingress.  

The history of the home 

The home has a deeply rooted past. Originally built from the remains of medieval pilgrims’ houses, the property was later extended by the Baird family in the 1600s for use as an agricultural store. Today, it sits in the rolling East Lothian landscape near St Mary’s Parish Church, maintaining a close connection to the area’s historic setting. The exact project location can be viewed on Roofmapping.com. 

The roof itself reflects traditional Scottish craftsmanship, with exceptionally heavy stone Caithness slabs and classic Scottish crow-stepped gables. Because materials like these are central to the character of a listed property, maintenance must be handled carefully and with respect for the original architectural fabric. 

The work 

With this much history on the line, the Bain and Irvine team was brought in. Why them? Bain and Irvine is an NFRC Heritage registered contractor, meaning their team is well versed in the responsibility that comes with caring for historic properties and helping homeowners protect buildings for future generations. 

For this project, their team carried out essential preventative maintenance across the roofline. A key part of the work involved carefully resealing the raggles down all lead watergates using a high-quality polysulphite mastic. This type of heritage roofing maintenance is especially important on Category A listed buildings, where failing seals can allow driving rain and harsh Scottish weather to penetrate vulnerable areas. 

Quality control was also central to the work. Senior craftsmen conducted continuous inspections throughout the project to ensure each slate and lead joint was properly addressed before the team left the site. 

Learn more about the project!