House surveys in Yorkshire and the Humber

Yorkshire and the Humber combines great industrial cities with some of England's most sought-after market towns and countryside. Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Hull grew rapidly in the 19th century, leaving vast areas of Victorian terraces, including Leeds's famous back-to-backs and Hull's terraces set at right angles to the main roads. West Yorkshire's Pennine towns are built of dark sandstone and gritstone, North Yorkshire's Dales and Moors use limestone and sandstone, and York, Beverley and Ripon have medieval and Georgian centres full of listed buildings.

Survey risks vary sharply across the region. The Yorkshire coalfield runs from Leeds and Bradford down through Wakefield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster, so mining searches are routine. River flooding is a major theme along the Ouse, Calder, Aire, Don and Derwent, and Hull and the Humber lowlands sit largely in flood zones. The Holderness coast is eroding fast, Ripon is known for gypsum sinkholes, and Pennine rainfall drives damp in solid stone walls.