The building stock

East London's masonry heritage is exceptional in its range. Spitalfields contains early Georgian silk merchants' houses in London stock brick, many of them Grade I listed. The Nicholas Hawksmoor churches at Christ Church Spitalfields and St George-in-the-East are constructed in Portland stone and represent some of the most technically demanding restoration work we encounter. Victorian warehouse conversions in Shoreditch and Bethnal Green are largely in yellow and red brick with terracotta ornament. Hackney has a substantial stock of mid-Victorian terrace housing and some significant late-Victorian civic buildings in polychrome brick.

The variety of materials in a relatively small geographic area means the diagnostic step matters more here than almost anywhere else. A method appropriate for the Portland stone of a Hawksmoor church would be wrong for the softer stock brick of a Spitalfields terrace next door.

What we do in East London

The Spitalfields Conservation Area is managed by Tower Hamlets, which has one of the more active conservation teams in London. For listed buildings, a method statement submitted to the Conservation Officer is standard practice. We prepare these as a matter of course. For Christ Church and the Spitalfields Georgian terraces, Historic England is often involved at approval stage, and we have a long track record of preparing documentation to the standard required.

For the Victorian terrace stock across Hackney, Bethnal Green, and Bow, the primary challenge is usually soiling removal combined with defective repointing. The brick here is typically softer than the stock brick found in North London, having been clamp-fired rather than kiln-fired in many cases. This means it is more susceptible to abrasion and acid. DOFF steam cleaning is almost always the right answer. We then assess the pointing: where hard cement is present, it comes out. Where it is original or a compatible lime, we leave it.

The Victorian warehouses and industrial buildings that have been converted to residential and office use often require specialist facade restoration work. These buildings were built quickly and cheaply and were not intended to last indefinitely. The brick is sometimes soft, the pointing is rarely original, and the facades show a range of patching and repairs from different eras. We assess each face of the building individually and specify accordingly.

Areas we cover

  • Spitalfields
  • Bethnal Green
  • Shoreditch
  • Hackney
  • Bow
  • Stepney
  • Whitechapel
  • Mile End
  • Dalston
  • Clapton
  • Homerton
  • Wapping

Listed buildings and conservation areas

Tower Hamlets contains some of the most closely managed conservation areas in London. The Spitalfields Conservation Area, the Whitechapel Conservation Area, and the Wapping Conservation Area all have detailed character appraisals that influence what works are permissible and how they must be specified. Hackney's conservation team covers a smaller number of areas but is equally engaged on listed building work.

We are familiar with both boroughs' requirements and maintain a good working relationship with their conservation officers. On any listed building project, we liaise directly with the relevant officer and manage the consent process from first enquiry to approval.

The early eighteenth-century construction date means that the brick and mortar are both relatively soft by modern standards. The pointing mortars in original construction were weak lime putty mixes, and any later repointing with harder materials has generally caused problems. The Grade I listing status of many of the terraces means that any cleaning or repair method must be defensible to Historic England, not just Tower Hamlets. This requires a more thorough method statement and a longer pre-approval process than most London boroughs.

Yes. Paint removal from industrial brick is a significant part of our East London work. The method depends on the paint type. Modern masonry paint comes off with DOFF at temperature. Older limewash can be left in place if stable, or removed with a poultice if not. Bituminous coatings require a different approach again. We assess the paint layer and specify the method accordingly, then test clean a discrete area before committing to the full facade.

Our focus is historic masonry. We do not generally work on modern construction. If you are uncertain whether your building qualifies, describe it to us and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right contractor. We would rather direct you elsewhere than take on work outside our scope.