Marley

Marley is a British manufacturer of pitched-roof products, including concrete and clay roof tiles, timber battens, underlays and roof-integrated solar panels. The business is part of the UK landscaping and building-products company Marshalls.

Products

• Roof tiles: concrete single-lap tiles and clay plain and single-lap tiles, including heritage-style products for conservation work (such as the Acme range).
• Battens and underlays: timber roofing battens (for example its JB Red and Type A battens) and underlays.
• Solar: SolarTile, an in-roof solar photovoltaic system designed to sit flush with surrounding tiles, together with inverters and battery storage.
• Roof systems and fittings: accessories, fixings and fittings.
• Other: cedar shingles and shakes, and Marley Weatherboard cladding.

In the UK, wind-uplift fixing of tiles is governed by BS 5534, which led manufacturers to supply tested mechanical fixing and dry-fix systems in place of mortar bedding.

History and ownership

Marley's roofing interests were once international. In 1991 the British tile maker Redland bought Marley's US roof tile subsidiary for GBP 6.6 million. The UK Marley roofing business now operates within the Marshalls group, and the company's website describes Marley as part of Marshalls.

Context

Concrete tiles, introduced in Britain in the early twentieth century, became the most common roof covering on new UK housing, while clay plain tiles remain important for traditional and listed buildings.

Solar roofing

In-roof (integrated) solar systems replace a section of tiles with panels mounted flush in the roof plane, using flashing kits to keep water out. They are an alternative to on-roof panels fixed above the tiles with hooks and rails.