17th Century Tin Roof Construction

The new york state historic trust nysht wrote a book in 1971 19th century tin roofing and its use at hyde hall this book discusses the different methods and materials for tin roofs in the 19th century as well as those used specifically at hyde hall.

17th century tin roof construction.

Metal roofing material was produced by heating and hand hammering the metal to a thin sheet. There are many differences in tin roofing today and how it was originally done in the 19th century. Many pantiles s curved tiles as well as flat roofing tiles were used in jamestown virginia. In the 17th century tin was first used in bohemia as a coating for rolled steel to prevent rust.

The lightweight tin products were less expensive to ship. Clay tiles were seen as early as the 17th century and had largely been used by european settlers in such settlements as jamestown new york and boston these clay materials were ideal as a precaution against fires which had engulfed london in 1666 and charred boston in 1679. Just before 1800s tin plates or shingles began to be imported into the us from wales where tin was mined. Tin plate iron commonly called tin roofing was used extensively in canada in the 18th century but it was not as common in the united states until later.

However rolled asphalt roofing coated with slate granules was available by the late 19th century so it s not a stretch to see how the material could have been used to. European settlers used clay tile for roofing as early as the mid 17th century. In the nineteenth century united states tin plates or shingles were widely used as roofing material. In some cities such as new york and boston clay was popularly used as a precaution against such fire as those that engulfed london in 1666 and scorched boston in 1679.

They were durable with some manufacturers predicting 50 to 100 years for the life of a tin. Thomas jefferson was an early advocate of tin roofing and he installed a standing seam tin roof on monticello ca. Reynolds company of grand rapids mich claimed in the early 20th century to have invented the asphalt roof shingle as with many now ubiquitous products this is difficult to prove. Sheet metal tin plate roofing of the 19th century was the first factory produced roofing arising in the federal era.

Historic roofing materials in america. Reynolds shingle co 1910. Tin plate iron commonly called tin roofing was used extensively in canada in the 18th century but it was not as common in the united states until later. The tiles themselves are flat and rectangular with a common measurement of around 10 by 6 by.