Original period features — cornicing, ceiling roses, fireplaces, panelled doors, sash windows, encaustic floor tiles — are among the most valuable assets a pre-war house possesses. They took skill to make, are difficult and expensive to replicate authentically, and are exactly what many buyers look for. Stripping them out, as happened extensively in the 1970s and 80s, is something most owners of period properties eventually regret. Restoring them is one of the more rewarding renovation projects you can undertake.
Cornicing and Ceiling Roses
Original plaster cornicing is lime-based and was formed in situ by running a profile along the wall/ceiling junction with a template. If yours is intact, clean it, repair cracks with lime filler, and paint carefully. Never skim over original cornicing — it destroys the profile permanently.
If cornicing has been removed, replacement options include:
- Fibrous plaster — traditional restoration method, sections cast in workshop and fitted on site. Matches original appearance best but is skilled work and expensive.
- GRG (glass reinforced gypsum) — lighter and less expensive than fibrous plaster, widely used for replications. Good quality suppliers produce profiles that are difficult to distinguish from original.
- Polyurethane — cheap but looks cheap: hollow sound, slightly shiny surface, no mass. Only appropriate where budget is the primary constraint and the room isn't a focal point.
Match the profile to the era of the house. Victorian houses have elaborate, deeply moulded profiles; Edwardian houses are simpler. Georgian houses use classical profiles based on the orders of architecture. Suppliers such as Stevensons of Norwich and Locker & Riley stock extensive period-accurate ranges.
Fireplaces
Many fireplaces were removed or boarded up during the 1960s–80s. Reinstating them — even as decorative features — transforms a room. The opening is usually still there behind the plasterboard or filler.
Before reinstating: check whether the chimney is still open and, if so, whether it needs lining before use. A HETAS-registered engineer should sweep and inspect the flue before any fire is lit. A closed-off chimney that hasn't been ventilated can develop damp — a small vent in the fireplace opening prevents this.
Period cast iron fireplaces are available from architectural salvage yards (the Architectural Forum, LASSCO, and local salvage dealers) at prices from £150 for a simple bedroom register grate to several thousand for elaborate reception room surrounds. Authentically matched tiles, grates, and fenders are available from specialists such as Stovax and Victorian Fireplace Shop.
Original Floors
Victorian and Edwardian hallways frequently had geometric encaustic tiled floors. Many survive under carpets or hardboard. Lifting and cleaning original tiles — even if a few are missing — is almost always preferable to replacement. Replacement encaustic tiles are available from Fired Earth, Minton Hollins, and specialist suppliers, and missing sections can be in-filled sympathetically.
Original floorboards, if they survive, should be preserved where possible. Gaps between boards can be filled with thin strips of matching timber or flexible filler rather than overlaid with new flooring. Sanding and finishing original boards reveals character that new flooring cannot replicate.
Doors and Joinery
Original panelled doors, skirtings, architraves, and picture rails were made from softwood (usually redwood pine) and finished with lead-based paint that was applied in multiple coats over decades. Stripping these to bare wood or repainting requires careful preparation — chemical stripping using paste strippers is gentler on moulding profiles than heat guns or orbital sanders.
Replacement doors for period houses should match the original panel configuration and proportions. Softwood doors from specialist suppliers (Premdor Heritage, Cheshire Mouldings) in appropriate styles are far more sympathetic than modern hollow-core flush doors, and they accept and hold paint in the way the originals did.
Sourcing and Specialists
For authentic restoration, use specialists rather than general builders: lime plasterers for cornicing and render, conservation joiners for sash windows, HETAS engineers for chimneys, and architectural salvage dealers for original fittings. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) publishes guidance and a directory of specialists. The Georgian Group, Victorian Society, and Twentieth Century Society all offer advice specific to their eras.