Mansfield is about 12 miles north of Mapperley, in the Maun Valley. It is the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire, and its housing runs from stone-built older properties to estates that are still being built.
Stone, brick and the Maun Valley
Mansfield sits in a basin of magnesian limestone and sandstone ridges, and the council notes that these locally quarried stones form the traditional materials of the town. Inside a stone-walled house, the walls are thick and uneven, so plastering them flat means building up in layers rather than skimming straight on. Older stone walls also need to stay able to dry out; trapping moisture behind dense modern plaster or impermeable paint is a common cause of damp patches in old buildings.
The Park and other conservation areas
The Park, about half a mile north of the town centre, is a late Victorian and Edwardian suburb that became a conservation area in 1992. Its houses are stone, red brick or both, many in the Arts and Crafts style, and range from terraces to large detached homes with sash windows and leaded lights. Replastering a room in a house like this is as much about protecting joinery and glass as about the plaster itself: frames, sills and leaded lights are masked off, and new plaster is finished neatly up to them. Larger houses of this period often have tall stairwells too, which need a safe platform and a single continuous finish.
Mansfield has several other conservation areas, including Market Place, West Gate, Terrace Road and Mansfield Woodhouse. Conservation area rules mainly cover outside changes, but check whether your house is also listed before altering original interiors.
Miners' terraces and new estates
Coal was Mansfield's main industry for most of the 20th century, and rows of terraced houses built for mine workers survive in and around the town. Terraces like these usually have solid brick walls, compact rooms and a chimney breast in most rooms. Common work includes replacing blown plaster, flattening ceilings, squaring up chimney breasts and making good after rewiring or new central heating.
At the other end of the scale, the Lindhurst development is planned for 1,700 homes, there are new homes at High Oakham Park, and most of the former Mansfield Brewery site is now housing. New houses settle as they dry, so fine cracks at board joints are normal early on, and skimming is usually left until that has happened.
For indoor plastering in Mansfield, from Berry Hill to the streets around Titchfield Park, call 07877 353120 or use the enquiry form. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm.
