Islington.

What the buildings are

Barnsbury is "the largest in Islington and was declared to be of outstanding importance", with "some of the finest sequences of squares and terraces in London": Lonsdale Square (Gothic, 1838–45, Grade II*), Gibson Square (about 1828–30) and Thornhill Square (1840s), the last described in its listing as "brown and yellow stock brick set in Flemish bond; stucco basement, ground floor and cornice". Canonbury Square, begun 1805, is "one of the earliest and finest squares in Islington", its 1821 terraces "yellow brick set in Flemish bond, stucco". Barnsbury Road has a terrace dated 1837 in "multi-coloured stock bricks with banded stucco ground-floor". That is the Islington front: yellow stock brick, Flemish bond, stucco to the lower floor, and almost always meant to be seen unpainted.

What the council says

Islington's own conservation-area page explains that where an Article 4(2) direction applies "you may be required to apply for planning permission to carry out minor alterations or home improvements such as changing external doors and windows or painting brickwork on the outside of a property". The Barnsbury design guidelines say the council "will normally require the use of traditional materials" and that "care must also be taken with the choice of brick and bond"; Canonbury's say the same. On listed buildings: consent "covers all parts of the building (interior and exterior)" and "it is a criminal offence to carry out works to a listed building without first obtaining consent from the council, even if you did not know that the building was listed".

Consent and advice

Design and Conservation Team: DesignConservation@islington.gov.uk. Formal pre-application advice (from 2 January 2025): householder written advice £480, with a site visit £700.80; householder listed building consent advice with site visit £1,440. Free for energy-efficiency works.

Scaffold on the pavement

Apply at least ten working days ahead with £10m public liability cover. The deposit is £50 per pole on the highway, and the management fee is banded by deposit: £540 where the deposit is £750 or less, £795 up to £1,500, £1,266 up to £3,000. Licences run up to three months.

What this means for your job

• Cleaning soot off a Barnsbury or Canonbury front: superheated water, trial patch, and match any repointing to the Flemish bond and the original joint.
• Painted fronts on the squares are a known blight; paint removal and tinting any scarred bricks is welcomed work.
• Many terraces here are listed as groups; a Grade II listing covers a whole run of houses, so check the address on the National Heritage List before cleaning or repointing.