the olnly rising damp I like is the one with Len Rossiter in it
Attacking the man does not counter his arguments.
The Building Research Station tried to investigate this theory of rising dampness, and constructed a brick built edifice in the wettest part of their site, and waited for moisture to rise up the walls. It never did. Most of what is called "rising damp" is actually condensation due to poor ventilations. The "damp meters" beloved of surveyors are designed for measure moisture levels in timber, and are totally unsuitable for measure moisture in masonry. The only way to find out if masonry is damp is to take a sample, weigh it, dry it in a kiln, and weight it again.
Old houses were built on a row of bricks on the ground in many areas of Liverpool, and stood (and are still standing) for over a hundred years. When they were built Britain was the heart of an empire which had at its beck and call the resources of the world. A "jerry built" house in Victorian times would be a palace these days. My house has floor joists over thirty feet long made of solid oak and with no knots in them. Rafters similarly were selected without shakes or waney edges, they could afford to pick and choose, even for artisan's dwellings. They also used lime plaster and mortar which has the property of autogenous healing, and if cracks appeared they filled them, and used anaglypta wallpaper to allow for movement. These days you get a hairline crack and people are moaning about subsidence.
These falling down houses are at the junction of Fountains Road and Wulstan St, off Stanley Road Kirkdale.
I went to see a house in Withorn Street a few years ago. I became interested because the rent was very cheap for a private landlord, I didn't know much about the Spoffoth Rd area. As I drove down Lawrence Road and saw each terraced street off it, I noticed the further I went the more houses were derelict. I felt really sad to see this.
When we arrived there, the houses were all well kept in the street but many were derelict around it; as my dad remarked "Even the Spoffoth pub is closed!" There did not seem to be many amenities in the immediate vicinity and loads of kids hanging about. It felt like the whole area was being forgotten and just left to rot.
I didn't take the house and I haven't visited the area since, what is happening to these houses?
There is such a thing as rising damp. Howell said there is no such thing. There is confusion with using poor ventilation causing water vapour to condense in the building fabric.
Victorian houses were a shambles. Only the best survive giving a slanted view of the era.A "jerry built" house in Victorian times would be a palace these days. My house has floor joists over thirty feet long made of solid oak and with no knots in them. Rafters similarly were selected without shakes or waney edges, they could afford to pick and choose, even for artisan's dwellings. They also used lime plaster and mortar which has the property of autogenous healing, and if cracks appeared they filled them, and used anaglypta wallpaper to allow for movement. These days you get a hairline crack and people are moaning about subsidence.
"Jerry built" came from Liverpool builders Jerry Bros. They built nice looking facades and cheap back ends. The term came to mean shoddy workmanship.
Last edited by Waterways; 03-07-2008 at 11:22 PM.
The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click
Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK
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Waterways, it's amazing how those old houses withstood wartime bombings - do you think todays new builds would stand up to the same trauma ?
just wondering
The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click
Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK
Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition
I saw this today and it is so utterly unbelievable how such amazing architecture can be destroyed.
Elm Terrace, Beech Street, L7
I had a friend who lived in Elm Terrace, visited a few times between 1995-1997. It is such a shame to see it like this as I always thought it was quite a nice building.
Chester: a Virtual Stroll Around the Walls-
http://www.chesterwalls.info
The Liverpool Gallery-
http://www.chesterwalls.info/gallery/liverpool.html
The Chester Shop
http://www.thechestershop.com
Chester & Liverpool Guided Walks
http://www.chesterwalls.info/guidedwalks.html
this is tucked away in Birchfield Rd, Walton Village
Church Rd, Walton . this one is an old employment /council office?, reminds me of the one in Green Lane.
Proud Scouser, with a dabbling of Welsh and Irish.
bore yourself silly at my Flickr page...anorak central!
The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click
Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK
Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition
Nothing wrong with modern advanced glass buildings. We need many, many more of them. They are superb, especially when done well. We can have both. The Liver Buildings was a trendy building at one time. So, was Oriel Chambers, which was ridiculed too - yet was the world's first steel framed glass curtain walled buildings.
Liverpool pioneered the modern building, not Chicago, not NY - and we should encourage advanced engineering designs and architecture.
.
Last edited by Waterways; 03-15-2008 at 02:26 PM.
The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click
Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK
Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition
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