Drone survey in Wellington

The Blackdown escarpment sits immediately south of Wellington with the Monument on top of it, and in south-westerly weather the hill accelerates wind over the town. The higher streets feel that far more than the valley floor does, and the difference over a mile is bigger than most people expect.

For a roof that means the exposure of a property is decided by where it sits relative to the hill rather than by which part of town it is in. Two houses of the same age and the same construction can be in quite different conditions, which is worth knowing before comparing one repair bill with another.

Tonedale and the woollen mill legacy left large-span roofs on the former mill buildings and terraced mill housing around them. Those big spans are a commercial survey subject with long gutter runs, old coverings and rooflights of uncertain condition.

The terraced housing has the ordinary terrace questions, with the additional point that mill terraces were often built quickly and uniformly, so what is true of one roof is frequently true of the row.

Clay double roman tile is common across this part of Somerset and it is a good covering, but it is heavier than concrete and its condition depends on the battens and the structure below. Individual tiles can crack or laminate with frost, and a single displaced tile on a big roof is easy to miss.

From above a displaced or cracked tile is obvious. From the road it is one of thousands, which is why so many of these roofs are only found to have a problem when water appears in a bedroom.

The town is well provided with open ground, the estates have gardens and the mill sites have yards. Flights are straightforward except when the escarpment is doing its work, which is checkable in advance from the forecast.

The Monument on the ridge is a helpful landmark for orientation in the imagery and a useful indicator of what the wind is doing higher up.

The Wellington Monument stands on the escarpment above the town and it is the best local indicator of what the air is doing. If the ridge is in cloud and moving, the higher streets will be uncomfortable to work on even if the valley floor feels calm.

That is worth knowing when a TA21 job is being arranged, because a survey booked for a specific hour on the higher ground is more likely to move than one in the town. Booking a window rather than a slot solves it.

Wellington Park and the flatter ground north of the town give plenty of easy working positions, and most of the estate housing has driveways or gardens that serve perfectly well.