Long Eaton is in Derbyshire, just over the county line and about 8 miles south-west of Mapperley. Its Victorian boom came with the railways and the lace trade. By 1900 the population had passed 10,000, and Victorian streets still sit beside the red brick lace mills along the Erewash Canal.
Victorian terraces near the mills
Erewash Borough Council's appraisal of the Long Eaton Mills Conservation Area describes King Street, Prince Street and Princess Street as mostly high-density Victorian terraces with later infill, and Lime Grove as Victorian semi-detached houses. Homes like these have usually seen more than a century of use, and it shows inside. Typical problems are plaster that has blown on the party wall, ceilings that have cracked as the floor above flexes, and chimney breasts that were opened up and patched closed again, sometimes more than once.
A lasting fix starts with finding out what is sound. We tap the walls, mark the hollow areas, take them back to the brick and build them up. Ceilings get the same check: a lath and plaster ceiling that is firm can often be skimmed, while one that moves when pressed is better overboarded. Only then does the finish coat go on, so the new surface has something solid underneath. The narrow staircase in a terrace usually needs the same treatment, and finishing it in the same job keeps the whole house consistent.
Flats and rooms above the shops
The upper floors above the shops on the High Street and Market Place give away the age of the town centre: much of it is Victorian or early 20th century. Where those upper floors are lived in or let, they tend to need the same work as a terrace, with extra thought about access through a shop or a narrow side door. Stairs and floors are protected on the way in, dust is kept contained, and the work is planned around the business downstairs.
Newer homes in Long Eaton
Not everything here is Victorian: houses and flats now stand on the former speedway stadium site, which closed in 1997. Newer homes usually need less building up and more finishing: skimming walls before decorating, flattening a textured ceiling, or making good after a new kitchen or bathroom. In bathrooms, moisture-resistant plasterboard is the right base for any reboarding before a skim.
Whatever the age of your house, from Lime Grove to the streets near West Park, call 07877 353120 or send photos through the enquiry form. We work seven days a week from 7am to 5pm.
