Coal built Eastwood. Output in the area rose from half a million tonnes in 1848 to sixteen million by 1900, Moorgreen Colliery opened in 1868, and the last mine in the area closed in 1985. The mine owners Barber and Walker housed their workers in The Buildings: about 300 terraced cottages on Princes Street, Victoria Street, Albert Street, Scargill Street and Wellington Street, laid out in a grid around shared yards known as The Squares. They are among the earliest company housing in the country and were saved from demolition by a council scheme.
Small rooms, careful work
Miners' cottages usually have compact rooms, so skimming one is less about square metres and more about working neatly around what is there: a chimney breast with an alcove either side, a boxed-in staircase, window reveals that have been knocked and filled for generations. Corners and reveals are where cottage walls look most worn, so they get angle beads for clean, straight lines. In houses this old the walls are usually solid brick, and plaster that has let go of the brick sounds hollow when tapped. Those areas are cut out and rebuilt before the whole wall is skimmed, so the finish has something firm underneath. A ceiling patched round the light fitting many times over can be skimmed in one piece to get rid of the rings and ridges.
Listed homes in the conservation area
Eastwood's conservation area, designated in 1977, has three parts: The Buildings, Nottingham Road with its Victorian red brick shops, and Church Street with detached houses set in their own grounds. There are ten listed buildings, all Grade II, including 36-39 Scargill Walk and 8a Victoria Street, where D. H. Lawrence was born in 1885. If your home is listed, ask Broxtowe Borough Council about consent before any original plaster is replaced. For unlisted homes, conservation area status mainly covers the outside, so skimming inside is not usually affected.
Steep stairs and slow drying
Cottage stairs are often steep and enclosed, which leaves little room to stand. A platform is set over the treads so the stair wall can be skimmed in one sweep from top to bottom. Solid walls hold more moisture than plasterboard, so give the new plaster time: keep a window open a crack, avoid heaters aimed at the wall, and wait until the colour is even before painting. A watered-down matt emulsion goes on first to seal the surface.
To talk about skimming a cottage in The Buildings, a house off Nottingham Road or one of the homes on Church Street, call 07877 353120 or send the enquiry form. We work 7am to 5pm, seven days a week.
