About Stuart Penrose | Stuart Penrose Roofing

 

Stuart Penrose is the founder of Stuart Penrose Roofing, a domestic slate roofing specialist based in Northern Ireland. With more than three decades of experience, Stuart has worked on some of the region’s most recognised historic buildings before refocusing his business on high-quality domestic roofing projects.

 

Born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1966, Stuart later moved to Northern Ireland where he built his career working on major public, heritage and church reroofing projects.

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Early Career – Government and Historic Buildings

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When Stuart Penrose first established his roofing business in the early 1990s, much of the work was carried out for the Ministry of Defence and the Police Authority during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. During this period the company became one of the largest roofing contractors operating within that sector, responsible for complete reroofing projects on major public buildings across Northern Ireland.

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Courthouse projects included:

• Bishop Street Courthouse, Derry – complete reroofing

• Armagh Courthouse – complete reroofing

• Banbridge Courthouse – complete reroofing

• Newry Courthouse – complete reroofing

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Other major buildings included:

• St George’s Market, Belfast – complete reroofing

• Newtownards Town Hall, Newtownards – complete reroofing

• Queen’s University Belfast  – reroofing works

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Church buildings included:

• St Thomas’ Parish Church, Belfast – complete reroofing

• Bangor Parish Church – complete reroofing

• St Philip & St James Church, Holywood – complete reroofing

• St Swithin’s Church, Magherafelt – complete reroofing

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Learning From Historic Roofs

Working on historic buildings across Northern Ireland allowed Stuart Penrose to see how roofing details had performed over decades, and often over more than a century. By stripping and rebuilding these roofs he was able to study which traditional details had stood the test of time and which had failed due to poor design, inadequate ventilation or long-term weather exposure.

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This experience shaped the approach used in Stuart Penrose Roofing today, combining proven slate roofing methods with improved detailing designed to ensure roofs can perform under modern weather conditions.

On period homes where natural slate roofing is used, Stuart began incorporating copper as the primary flashing metal, recognising that its life expectancy more closely matches that of natural slate. This allows the supporting metalwork within the roof to perform over the same lifespan as the slate itself.

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On roofs using manufactured roofing products with a shorter expected lifespan, Stuart later became an ambassador for Leadax, an environmentally friendly alternative to lead used in modern roofing systems.

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Recognised Heritage Project – Ormiston House

More recently Stuart Penrose completed the award-winning reroofing of Ormiston House in Belfast, a technically complex heritage roofing project. The project received industry recognition and was a contributing factor in Stuart Penrose being awarded Domestic Roofing Contractor of the Year in Northern Ireland.

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Refocusing on Domestic Roofing

After many years working on major heritage and public buildings, Stuart chose to refocus his business on the domestic roofing sector. The aim was to bring the same level of technical understanding and workmanship developed on historic buildings into private homes.

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This approach continues to define Stuart Penrose Roofing today, bringing heritage-level roofing standards and technical expertise into the domestic sector, where such standards are often lacking.

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Training the Next Generation

There is currently no formal roofing apprenticeship or structured roofing training pathway operating anywhere in Ireland, meaning practical knowledge must still be passed on directly within the trade itself.

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For that reason Stuart continues to work on site each day with his team, providing hands-on guidance and daily instruction to apprentices while completing roofing projects across Northern Ireland.

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Career Timeline

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Early 1990s – Stuart Penrose establishes his roofing business and undertakes major reroofing projects for the Ministry of Defence and the Police Authority during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

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1990s–2000s – Completes reroofing projects on major public and heritage buildings including Bishop Street Courthouse, Armagh Courthouse, Banbridge Courthouse and Newry Courthouse.

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Later Years – Undertakes reroofing projects on historic churches and civic buildings including St George’s Market, Newtownards Town Hall and Queen’s University Belfast.

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Recent Years – Completes the award-winning reroofing of Ormiston House in Belfast and is recognised as Domestic Roofing Contractor of the Year in Northern Ireland.

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Today – Continues working on site with his team while training apprentices and advising architects and other roofing professionals on complex roofing projects.