House surveys in Northumberland

Northumberland splits into two very different housing landscapes. The south east of the county, around Blyth, Ashington, Bedlington and Cramlington, grew on coal and is dominated by brick colliery rows, inter-war council housing and large modern estates. The rest of the county is rural and built of local sandstone, with Georgian and Victorian market towns such as Morpeth, Hexham, Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed protected by extensive conservation areas and many listed buildings. Common survey issues include mining legacy in the south east, weathering of soft sandstone and lime mortar on older stone properties, exposure on the coast and uplands, radon in parts of the county, and river flooding along the Wansbeck, Coquet and Tyne.