Damp proofing in Rossington, Bawtry and Tickhill

In the south of the borough, Rossington grew around a colliery that closed in 2007, while Bawtry and Tickhill are historic towns with conservation areas and many listed buildings. Damp advice for one can be wrong for the other. It is general information, not a diagnosis.

Rossington: a colliery village

Rossington’s pit was sunk between 1912 and 1915. It closed briefly between 1993 and 1994 before finally closing in 2007, and the need for workers at Rossington Main Colliery led to large numbers of houses being built (Wikipedia: Rossington). The new village began to be built around the time the colliery was sunk (Wikipedia: New Rossington). The River Torne once formed part of the boundary between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire here.

Homes built for miners a century ago are now old houses themselves. Damp in them usually comes down to a few causes:

Damp low on walls, often from ground, paths or render bridging the damp proof course, or from blocked air bricks. See rising damp and damp proof courses.
Patches that follow rain, from gutters, downpipes, pointing, render cracks or chimneys. See penetrating damp.
Black mould in corners and on window reveals, usually condensation. See condensation or rising damp? and black mould removal and causes.
Cracks as well as damp. Cracks can let rain in. If you think coal mining subsidence is the cause, the GOV.UK guide to your rights explains how to claim.

Bawtry: river port and coaching town

Bawtry grew as a port on the River Idle and prospered from the Great North Road in the coaching era; the Crown Hotel on the High Street was once a coaching inn, and South Parade is a terrace of Georgian houses (Wikipedia: Bawtry). The parish has 44 listed buildings on the National Heritage List for England (Wikipedia: listed buildings in Bawtry), and Bawtry has a conservation area dating from 1970 in the government’s planning data (planning.data.gov.uk: Bawtry).

The Idle is navigable as far as Bawtry, and it has a long history of flooding towns and villages beside it (Wikipedia: River Idle). The Environment Agency runs a flood warning area for the River Idle at Bawtry, including the A631 Bawtry Bridge and properties near the river on Church Street (GOV.UK: check for flooding, River Idle at Bawtry).

Tickhill: castle, market town and Paper Mill Dyke

Tickhill Castle was built by Roger de Busli, and in the Middle Ages Tickhill was the second most important town, after Doncaster, in what is now South Yorkshire. The butter cross in the market place was put up in 1777 (Wikipedia: Tickhill). The parish has 121 listed buildings, many of them 18th-century brick or stone buildings with pantile roofs (Wikipedia: listed buildings in Tickhill), and Tickhill’s conservation area dates from 1970 in the government’s planning data (planning.data.gov.uk: Tickhill).

Tickhill was one of five communities primarily affected by the November 2019 floods (RAB Consultants: Doncaster Section 19 flood investigation). The council’s Section 19 flood investigation records 22 properties flooded in Tickhill by Paper Mill Dyke, with several on Home Meadows and Lindrick. A recently built flood wall held the water back for a time but was eventually overtopped by Water Lane and possibly at Mill Dam sluice. The report notes earlier flooding from Paper Mill Dyke onto Home Meadows, Lindrick and Castlegate in 2007 and 2008. Most of Tickhill is in Flood Zone 1, but a band of Flood Zone 3 follows the Paper Mill Dyke flow route. The dyke is an ordinary watercourse managed by Doncaster Council, not the Environment Agency, and there is no Environment Agency flood warning for Tickhill. Downstream it becomes the River Torne as it approaches New Rossington, and in November 2019 the Torne at Auckley recorded its highest flow in a 45-year record (Doncaster Council: Section 19 flood investigation report, PDF).

If your home flooded, read damp after flooding in Doncaster before replastering.

Damp in old and listed buildings: different rules

Traditional brick and stone buildings, like many of the older ones in Bawtry and Tickhill, handle moisture differently from modern houses. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) explains that old buildings become damp if an impervious layer is applied to them, because it stops water in the structure from evaporating. It says strong cement renders tend to form hair cracks, letting moisture in and then trapping it, and that dense plasters used over a wall with rising dampness may only drive the moisture higher. Traditionally, mortars, plasters and renders were usually lime-based, with limewash as decoration, and saturated solid walls may take many months or even years to dry out (SPAB: the need for old buildings to breathe, PDF; SPAB: breathability and old buildings).

In practice, that means:

Ask whether cement render, cement pointing, gypsum plaster or plastic paints have been used on an old wall, and whether removing them would help it dry.
Be wary of replacing lime plaster with a dense, waterproof system without a clear explanation.
Ask whether the surveyor has experience with traditional buildings.

Listed building consent and conservation areas

GOV.UK guidance says works to demolish, alter or extend a listed building in a way that affects its character need listed building consent, whether or not planning permission is also needed, and that carrying out such works without consent is a criminal offence under section 9 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (GOV.UK: conserving and enhancing the historic environment; legislation.gov.uk: section 9). Damp treatments such as replastering, render, new pointing or an injected damp proof course can affect a building’s character, so if your home is listed, speak to City of Doncaster Council’s conservation team before agreeing any work. In a conservation area, check with the council before changing walls, windows or render, even if the building is not listed.

What to check yourself

Check your address on GOV.UK: check your long term flood risk, and if you live near the Idle in Bawtry, sign up for free flood warnings.
Find out whether your home is listed or in a conservation area before any work is planned.
Walk round the outside: is the ground below the damp proof course (where there is one), are air bricks clear, and are gutters, downpipes and drains running freely?

When to get a damp survey

Get a survey if damp keeps returning, if plaster is blowing or salts are showing, if you are buying, or if a firm has recommended treatment without explaining the cause. A good survey looks inside and out, takes moisture readings and photos, checks ground levels, drainage and ventilation, and explains in writing what is causing the damp and why any work is needed. Our damp survey guide explains what a report should include. If you rent, report damp and mould to your landlord in writing; see damp and mould in rented homes in Doncaster.

What to tell us

Use the enquiry form with your postcode, the type and rough age of your home, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, where the damp is, whether it changes with rain or cold weather, and whether the house has flooded. With your consent, we will pass your enquiry to a local damp and mould professional who can talk it through and, if needed, arrange a survey and written quote.

Sources and further reading

Wikipedia: Rossington; Wikipedia: New Rossington; Wikipedia: Bawtry; Wikipedia: listed buildings in Bawtry; planning.data.gov.uk: Bawtry conservation area; Wikipedia: River Idle; GOV.UK check for flooding: River Idle at Bawtry; Wikipedia: Tickhill; Wikipedia: listed buildings in Tickhill; planning.data.gov.uk: Tickhill conservation area; Doncaster Council: Section 19 flood investigation report, September 2020 (PDF); RAB Consultants: Doncaster Section 19 flood investigation; SPAB: the need for old buildings to breathe (PDF); SPAB: breathability and old buildings; GOV.UK: conserving and enhancing the historic environment; legislation.gov.uk: Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 9; GOV.UK: coal mining subsidence damage, a guide to your rights; GOV.UK: check your long term flood risk; GOV.UK: sign up for flood warnings.

Areas we cover

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Did Tickhill flood in November 2019?

Yes. The council’s Section 19 flood investigation records 22 properties flooded in Tickhill by Paper Mill Dyke, several of them on Home Meadows and Lindrick, after a recently built flood wall was overtopped. There is no Environment Agency flood warning for Tickhill.

My house in Bawtry or Tickhill is listed. Do I need consent for damp work?

You may. Works that affect a listed building’s character need listed building consent, and doing them without it is a criminal offence. Replastering, render, repointing or an injected damp proof course can all affect character, so speak to City of Doncaster Council before agreeing any work.

Why is cement render a problem on an old wall?

SPAB explains that impervious layers stop water in an old wall from evaporating, and that strong cement renders tend to crack, letting moisture in and then trapping it. Traditional buildings were usually finished with lime-based mortars, plasters and renders.

Is damp in an old Rossington colliery house likely to be rising damp?

Not necessarily. Bridged damp proof courses, blocked air bricks, leaking gutters and condensation are all common in houses of that age. A good survey rules these out and explains the cause in writing before recommending treatment.