We repaint shopfronts and business frontages in Wollaston, NN29, the village about 3 miles south of Wellingborough and 9.6 miles east of Northampton. Dean plans the work so you can keep trading, and keeps colours sympathetic in the conservation area.
Two shopping streets, two different jobs
Wollaston’s retail is split between two places. On one side are the Newton Road units, the Co-op among them; on the other, the older High Street frontages of The Boot, the Excelsior Band Club, the museum and the old Lloyds Bank. Around the village are a pharmacy, a newsagent and off-licence, a post office, takeaways and a restaurant. The Newton Road units are typically working shops that need a quick, tidy repaint with minimal disruption. The High Street frontages are older buildings, several of them listed, where the detail and the colour matter as much as the speed.
The general process for trading premises, from fascia signboards to stallrisers, is covered on our main shopfront painting page. This page is about the particular conditions in Wollaston.
Newton Road: parking first, painting second
The Wollaston Neighbourhood Plan names Newton Road as a place where narrow roads make the shortage of parking worse, specifically around the retail units. It also notes that some of the village’s small businesses lack off-road parking. For a shopfront repaint that shapes the day:
- the van may need to park away from the shop, with materials brought in by hand
- ladders and steps need a small footprint so customers can still pass on the pavement
- messy stages such as scraping and sanding happen at a quiet time of day you choose
- the entrance is done first or last so customers can always get in, with wet paint signs up where hands might touch
We agree a timetable with you before starting, so you know which parts of the frontage are out of use and when.
Listed frontages on the High Street
Several of the High Street’s commercial buildings are Grade II listed. The Boot is mid-18th century painted lias under thatch. The Excelsior Band Club is a mid-18th century coursed limestone house now in use as a club. The former Lloyds Bank and No. 50 High Street date from the early 19th century, with a six-panel door in a reeded surround and a painted imitation window, a detail that needs a steady hand to keep crisp when it is refreshed.
Work on frontages like these differs from a modern shop. Painted lias needs a breathable coating. Thatch rules out heat guns and flame anywhere near the eaves. Moulded and reeded joinery is brushed rather than rolled so the profiles stay sharp. Planning a new colour on a listed frontage? Speak to the council before ordering paint, and expect the conservation area around the High Street to favour a restrained scheme.
Choosing colours that sit with the stone
A frontage in Wollaston is seen against coursed limestone and, on some buildings, ironstone banding. Deep greens, dark blues, off-blacks and warm greys tend to work with that background, while bright corporate colours can look out of place in the conservation area. If you are unsure, our colour and finish advice can help you settle on a scheme before any paint is bought.
Weather and timing on a hilltop
Exterior paint needs dry weather, and Wollaston’s elevated position means wind-driven rain can arrive quickly. We keep a close watch on forecasts and would rather move a date than paint a fascia board into a wet spell. Our Wollaston area page covers the village’s homes and streets more broadly.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
