Before there was ever a Paisley Roofing, there was a young YTS apprentice at Gleeson’s, learning the building trade the traditional way carrying the hod for the bricklayers, then progressing to bricklaying itself. It was solid, honest work, but it never quite felt like the right fit. It was roofing that changed that. Once introduced to the trade of slating and tiling, the fit was immediate, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The photograph above, taken by the Sheffield Star in 1996, captures that period of training in Sheffield learning the craft properly, from the ground up, under experienced tradesmen. That grounding would prove to be the foundation of a lifelong trade. In 1998, Paisley Roofing was founded in Sheffield, built on the principle that a roof should be laid with the same care and precision as it was a century ago.

Thirty years on, that same standard remains at the heart of the business. Roofing has always been a trade passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, and Paisley Roofing continues that tradition today, training young roofers in the same fundamentals: proper technique, patience, and pride in the finished job. Materials and methods have moved on since those early days at Gleeson’s, but the craft itself and the standards it demands have not.