Damp Proofing Specialists Brighton & Hove

About Brighton & Hove

Architectural History

Brighton and Hove is a city on the south coast, directly south of London. It has a long and varied history and this is reflected in the buildings and properties that make up this interesting city. The Brighton & Hove area is comprised of the city centre along with the surrounding towns and villages, such as Shoreham and Saltdean. Brighton began life as a medieval fishing village but was transformed into a seaside pleasure resort during the Regency period. Many of the buildings, mainly along the seafront, in the city are of Regency architectural design.

There are also many Victorian and Edwardian properties throughout the city. You can also find Brutalist styled commercial and council-run properties built during the Postwar development of the city. The urban area has expanded to encompass villages and small towns that were previously in the orbit of Brighton or Hove. Within these areas there are many historical buildings including ancient churches and picturesque flint cottages. As the city has an interesting architectural heritage there are many listed buildings scattered across the urban sprawl. 

Local Construction Materials

Many buildings in the Brighton and Hove area are constructed using a local material commonly known as bungaroosh. Buildings made with bungaroosh are only really found in Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas including Shoreham, Worthing and Lewes and some other areas of Sussex. Bungaroosh is comprised of random materials such as pebbles, stones, flints, broken bricks, bits of wood and sand put into hydraulic lime. This mixture is then poured into shuttering and left to dry and solidify. This process was commonly used in Brighton and Hove between the mid 18th and late 19th centuries. Buildings built with bungaroosh were often covered with a façade such as Regency style stucco or mathematical tiles (another local material). 

Bungaroosh has a terrible resistance to water and can start to dissolve or move if it gets wet, causing structural damage. Also, on the other hand, if it dries out completely bungaroosh can crumble away and collapse. A popular saying is ‘Brighton could be demolished with a well-aimed hose’!  

There are still many properties in the Brighton and Hove area that are constructed with bungaroosh. We deal with this material regularly and can provide solutions including damp proofing and masonry repair for buildings made of it. Often chemical-based damp solutions are not the best approach for properties made with bungaroosh. These can sometimes make damp issues worse by trapping in moisture and speeding up the rate of decay of the fabric of the building.

Areas We Cover in Brighton & Hove

Here are some of the areas and postcodes that we cover in the Brighton and Hove area:

Post Codes: BN1, BN2, BN3, BN5, BN6, BN7, BN8, BN9, BN10, BN11, BN12, BN13, BN14, BN15, BN16, BN17, BN18, BN20, BN21, BN22, BN23, BN24, BN25, BN26, BN27, BN41, BN42, BN43, BN44, BN45