We take on commercial painting in Kislingbury, which sits 3.6 miles out of Northampton on its western side. The business premises here are few and mostly historic: three pubs (two listed), a shop and post office, a cafe, a filling station and a handful of small businesses, so work is planned around opening hours and heritage rules.
What counts as commercial in Kislingbury
Kislingbury has no business park. Its commercial premises are a short list, and most of them sit in or near the conservation area.
- Three pubs: the Old Red Lion and Cromwell Cottage on High Street, and The Sun Inn on Mill Road
- The mini market and post office on Church Lane
- A tattoo studio on Mill Road and a florist
- A cafe on Rothersthorpe Road and a filling station on Weedon Road
- The village hall
That mix means interior repaints of bars, dining rooms and shop floors, plus outside joinery, signboards and doors.
Two listed pubs and a thatched roof
Cromwell Cottage is a Grade II listed building dating from the mid-17th century, in coursed squared ironstone. The Sun Inn at 6 Mill Road is Grade II listed, early to mid 18th century, and thatched. The Old Red Lion is not listed but was named in the council’s 2012 survey of significant historic buildings.
For a listed pub, a different exterior colour or paint system can need listed building consent, and that question goes to West Northamptonshire Council before work is booked. The ironstone walls themselves should stay unpainted. The painting work is the timber casements, doors, signboards and any rendered areas, which take microporous paints on joinery and breathable coatings near the stone.
At The Sun Inn the thatch adds a firm rule: no heat guns or flame tools anywhere near the building. Old paint is taken back by hand and with abrasives, and ladder and scaffold positions are planned so nothing rests against the thatch eaves.
The hall, the cafe and the newer premises
The village hall, the cafe on Rothersthorpe Road and the filling station on Weedon Road are not on the listed-building schedules in our sources, so heritage rules do not drive their specification. A hall takes knocks from chairs and tables, so lower walls and doors suit scrubbable, hard-wearing finishes, with dates fitted around its bookings. A cafe needs a wipeable finish in food areas, and the filling station’s paintwork is done in sections while it stays open. Each gets its own brief.
Working around trade
Kislingbury’s pubs and its one shop-cum-post office cannot close for a week. We split the work into stages that suit the business, such as dining rooms done while the bar stays open, or one elevation at a time outside, and use low-odour, fast-drying paints indoors so diners and shoppers are not met by fumes. We agree the working times when we quote, within normal working hours.
Outside, the timing also depends on the weather. With the village low in the river valley, sheltered elevations dry slowly, so exterior joinery is booked for a settled dry spell. Our guide on the right time of year for exterior painting explains why.
Access on High Street, Mill Road and Church Lane
Most of these premises front onto historic lanes lined with stone walls, with buildings close to the road. Heavy traffic, including quarry and flour mill lorries, uses the road towards Bugbrooke. Ladders, towers and the van are positioned with that traffic in mind, and work at the street edge is planned for quieter times of day. For frontages and signage specifically, see our shopfront painting page. The wider approach for offices, shops and other premises is on our main commercial painting page. Quotes are free, and we are fully insured.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
