DH Painter & Decorator repaints shopfronts and small business frontages in Great Doddington, about 8.3 miles east of Northampton town centre. Commerce here is small-scale, centred on The Square, so Dean quotes each frontage individually after seeing it.
Shops inside converted cottages
Great Doddington’s commercial centre is modest. The conservation area appraisal of 2002 records three shops at The Square, the widened part of the High Street near Chapel Lane: a post office, a general store and a hairdresser, all in converted cottages. The parish council and other sources still mention a village shop. None of these is a purpose-built parade with an aluminium fascia and roller shutter. They are domestic stone buildings with a shop window and door added.
That shapes the job. A frontage like this usually means a timber shop window and frame, a door, a sign board, perhaps a stall riser and the cottage casements above. We paint the timber and leave the limestone and ironstone bare, as on any cottage in the old core. The aim is a front that looks well kept and clearly open for business while still reading as a cottage in a conservation area.
The Stag’s Head and the working men’s club
The Stag’s Head was built as a house in 1686 and is shown as an inn on the 1900 Ordnance Survey map. It is single storey with an attic. A building of that age has joinery that has been painted many times, likely including lead-based layers, so preparation is by hand with wet abrasives and no open flame. The pub sits at one of the village’s narrow pinch points near the Top Farm barn, and a yew stands by it. Space for a tower is limited, and the woodwork collects needles and sap that must be cleaned off first.
The working men’s club off Lower Street, and the farm and livery buildings, fall under the same heading: small premises where signage, doors and windows matter more than large painted areas. Lower Street drops fairly steeply from the High Street, so we level towers and ladders with care.
Farm and livery premises usually need practical rather than decorative work: a painted sign at the yard entrance, office or tack-room doors, and timber boarding near where customers park. The finish has to stand up to mud, hoses and hands, so we use harder-wearing exterior coatings at those points and arrange the work around feeding and turnout times.
Colour, signage and permissions
Businesses often want a stronger colour than a house would use, and that is reasonable. In the conservation area, though, deep heritage shades such as dark greens, blues, oxblood and off-blacks usually suit the stone better than bright modern brand colours. If your premises are listed, or you plan to change the character of the frontage, check with North Northamptonshire Council before work starts. Advertisement consent rules can also cover new or illuminated signs. We mask and protect existing sign lettering, or take boards down and paint them separately if you prefer.
Keeping the shop open while we work
The shops at The Square open straight onto the High Street footway, beside a raised grass verge and a sycamore. Customers have to be able to get in, so we work one section at a time, keep the door usable with barriers and signage, and plan the door itself for a quiet hour or before opening. Early starts can help, though we work normal hours. If you would rather we came on your closing day, say so when you book.
The shopfront painting service page covers brand colour matching and preparation around signs. For houses and cottages in the village, see the Great Doddington area page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
