When I were a kid our house and most other houses in the area had snow guards on the roof, above the guttering. You just don't see them anymore, murray's post reminded me.
Are they still common in Scotland, murraymints? It's a long time since I saw huge icicles above the front door.
This has made me think. Back in the day houses were very poorly insulated, with little or no loft insulation so I am surprised that the snow stuck to the roof as it did. Then again, the bedrooms were absolutely freezing in the winter, with jack frost on the inside of the windows and the net curtains firmly frozen to the panes.