Dean takes on commercial and community painting in Ecton, about 4.9 miles north-east of Northampton. The village has had no shops since 1989, so commercial work here means its two listed pubs, the village hall, the primary school and home-based businesses, often in historic buildings with conservation-area constraints.
Two listed pubs at either end of the village
Ecton’s commercial premises are few, and both pubs are listed. The Three Horseshoes on the High Street is Grade II, mid 18th century, built of lias and brick and recorded in its listing as now part painted. Its listing also mentions an old blacksmiths’ workshop behind it, reputedly a Franklin family property, which ties it to Benjamin Franklin’s ancestors. The World’s End, on Northampton Road, is a Grade II mid-18th-century building with an attached barn. It was originally called The Globe and now runs as a pub, restaurant and hotel.
For painting, the listings shape what is sensible:
- Where a building is already part painted, like the Three Horseshoes, the painted areas are repainted like for like. Bare lias or brick that has never been painted is left alone.
- Painted masonry on old stone needs a breathable mineral or lime-compatible coating, not a plastic masonry paint that holds moisture in the wall.
- Timber windows and doors are repaired and repainted in keeping with the conservation area. The 2018 appraisal discourages uPVC.
- Any change of exterior colour, or stripping of historic finishes, should be checked with North Northamptonshire Council before work starts.
Inside, bars and dining rooms take heavy wear on skirtings, door edges and the walls beside seating. Hotel rooms at The World’s End are a different job again: room-by-room redecoration so some rooms stay bookable while others are done.
Access on the High Street and Northampton Road
One of the High Street’s pinch points runs between the Three Horseshoes and Rectory Farmhouse. Ladders or a tower against the front elevation need to leave the footpath usable, and the village website asks visitors not to block residents or emergency vehicles. We plan where the van stands, keep the working area small, and agree with you which hours customers will be using the frontage.
The World’s End has mature trees around it. Shade, sap and leaf fall slow drying and dirty fresh exterior paint, so outside work there suits a dry spell with the surfaces washed down first. Our guide on the timing exterior painting explains how weather affects that timing.
Village hall, school and church buildings
Ecton Village Hall stands towards the southern end of the High Street. The primary school, with Ecton Acorns pre-school, was brought into the conservation area when it was extended in 2018. Community buildings like these usually need durable, washable wall finishes in halls and corridors, low-odour water-based paints, and work booked when rooms are not in use. For a school that generally means a holiday window, agreed well ahead with the head or governors.
We do not take on structural or specialist conservation work to the Grade I church of St Mary Magdalene. Routine painting of ancillary timber or metalwork in the village, such as the decorative iron gates at The Shrine war memorial, is the kind of maintenance we can quote for once the parish or relevant body has approved the approach.
Home-based businesses
With no shops or dedicated employment area, many self-employed residents work from home. A home office or treatment room in an Ecton house is decorated like any other room, with one difference: you need it back quickly. We can phase the work so the room you work from is done first, or last.
Our commercial painting page covers how we plan around a business. Other services in the village are listed on the Ecton area page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
