We paint commercial frontages in Pattishall, NN12, about 6.5 miles south-west of Northampton town centre. With no shops recorded in the parish, that means hospitality and leisure premises such as Eastcote's listed pub and the roadside frontage at Fosters Booth on the A5.
No high street, so what counts as a frontage here?
Pattishall has no shop parade and no business park. Its commercial buildings are a pub, a listed roadside building at Fosters Booth recorded as Peggottys Restaurant, and Cornhill Squash Club at Cornhill Manor, itself a listed house. For a business in the parish, the frontage is still the first thing a passing driver or walker sees, but it is a frontage on a historic stone building rather than a glazed shop with a fascia sign. That changes the work. There are timber windows, doors and porches to paint, lettering and signboards to work around, and listed fabric to respect. The parish also has a working farm, but farm buildings rarely need a painted frontage in this sense.
The Eastcote Arms on Gayton Road
Gayton Road’s pub dates from the mid-18th century and traded as the Rose and Crown before taking the Eastcote name. It is Grade II listed, built of limestone rubble under slate. On a pub like this the painted surfaces are the joinery and any signboards, while the stone walls stay bare. For the owner or tenant, the points that matter are:
- colours and finishes on the front need to match what is there unless listed building consent has been agreed
- preparation is done by hand, because old timber and stone sit side by side
- work on the frontage is scheduled with the landlord so the doors, the outside seating and deliveries are not blocked when the pub is busy
Roadside premises at Fosters Booth
The listed building at Fosters Booth sits directly on Watling Street. Its street face is squared ironstone with canted bay windows, and the rendered side carries a pargetted hunting scene. Commercial use of a building like this puts its front to the traffic, and that brings two practical problems. The first is dirt: traffic spray and grime coat the bay windows and render, so the frontage needs washing and rinsing before paint goes on, and more frequent maintenance afterwards. The second is safety. Working on an A5 frontage means planning where the ladders, the van and any barriers go so that drivers, pedestrians and the work area stay apart.
Any repainting of the rendered walls or the pargetting needs breathable materials and a gentle hand, and the listing means the method and colours should be cleared with West Northamptonshire Council.
Planning commercial work across the parish
Because the parish’s premises are spread across Eastcote, Fosters Booth and Cornhill, each job is planned around its own access and its own trading pattern. We agree working days and times with you so the frontage is done without closing the business, and we keep the pavement or forecourt clear and safe while we work. Brand or heritage colours can be matched, and existing signwriting is protected or worked around rather than painted over. For a sports or leisure club, where members come and go through the day, we can split the job into stages so one entrance always stays open and clearly signed.
The general approach to commercial frontages, from preparing old fascias to matching brand colours, is on our shopfront painting page. If the inside of the premises needs work as well, see commercial painting, and for the parish’s other building types visit our Pattishall area page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
