Zinc that weathers with
the house, not against it.
Architectural cladding, guttering, and ornamental flashings hand-shaped over a stake — built to deepen in colour for generations, not degrade in decades.
The wrong material ages against you.
Plastic splits. Mild steel bleeds rust into render. Lead creeps and cracks. These are not edge cases — they are the predictable end of the wrong specification.
"The guttering went brittle in year eight. Replaced it twice before the builder admitted plastic just isn't right for this exposure."
— Sarah M., Victorian terrace, North Yorkshire
"The render cost £12,000 to repoint. Every winter the rust from the old flashings undid another season's work."
— Thomas H., Heritage restoration, Cotswolds
"Three roofers, two insurance claims. The lead just kept cracking at the fold. Nobody told us lead work needs re-dressing every decade."
— Claire & David R., Self-build, Herefordshire
Craft is the antidote.
Zinc worked by hand, over tools that have not changed in a century, by people who have been doing this since before flat-pack guttering existed.
Every roll begins at the stake. The zinc is guided by hand until the curve feels right — not measured to a CAD tolerance, but to the building's own geometry.
A crisp fold at the brake. The seam that keeps water out for fifty years.
Wrapped and labelled for the site. Every piece made to drawing, checked against the schedule.
37
Years at the forge
1,200+
Projects completed
0.7mm
Typical zinc gauge
80yr
Expected service life
The same piece of zinc. Three moments in time.
Zinc doesn't degrade — it evolves. Each stage of oxidation adds chemical protection. By year twenty, the patina is the material.
Bright mill finish
Fresh from the workshop. The surface holds the blue-grey sheen of rolled zinc, catching light across its grain.
Early patination
The surface begins to bloom. Zinc carbonate forms a protective skin — the same chemistry that will carry it through another century.
Living patina
A settled, matte grey-green that reads with the stone and slate around it. The building looks as though it was always meant to be this way.
“We specified Forge for the full rainwater system on a Grade II listed farmhouse. Twenty-two months later the zinc is exactly where we expected it to be — and the planners couldn't be happier.”
Jonathan Fairweather
Conservation Architect, Fairweather & Bligh
“The hopperheads arrived made to the survey drawing, no fettling required on site. That's not always the case with specialist metalwork. We'll be using Forge again.”
Priya Subramaniam
Project Manager, Cotswold Heritage Contracts
Ready when you are.
We serve a 90-mile radius from our workshop in the Welsh Marches. The measure is free. The advice comes with it.