Brighton’s Secret Building Material
Stroll along the crescents and terraces of Brighton & Hove and you’ll see Regency façades, intricate iron balconies and colourful render. Behind many of those plastered walls lies a lesser-known material—bungaroosh—responsible for both the city’s charm and many of its structural headaches.
Bungaroosh is a grab-bag mixture of lime mortar, chalk, beach flint, broken bricks and almost any rubble that Georgian and Victorian builders could sweep up. It was quick, cheap and—at the time—perfectly adequate for infilling between higher-quality brick piers. Two hundred years on, it poses serious challenges for renovators who treat it like modern blockwork.
Why Bungaroosh Demands Specialist Care
• Crumbles under vibration – Even light drilling can loosen whole sections.
• Drinks up moisture – Capillary action pulls damp through internal finishes.
• Loses strength with cement – Modern cement renders seal in moisture, accelerating decay.
• Misdiagnosed daily – Many engineers and surveyors unfamiliar with Brighton assume they are looking at brick or random-rubble stone.
Treating a bungaroosh wall as if it were ordinary masonry can lead to failed RSJ installations, collapsed lintels and soaring repair bills.
Spotting Bungaroosh in Your Property
- Age – Built (or re-faced) between 1780 and 1930.
- Patchy texture under render – Uneven lumps when using a stud finder or thermal camera.
- Soft lime plaster inside, often with stress cracks.
- Uneven walls ? 220 mm thick—thicker than brick but lighter than stone.
Still unsure? A 20-minute site inspection with a moisture meter, cavity scope and probe screwdriver often confirms the diagnosis.
Repairing Bungaroosh the Safe-Bricks Way
Step 1 – Detailed Condition Survey
We map voids, test moisture levels and identify load-bearing points before any invasive work.
Step 2 – Breathable Stabilisation
Loose material is consolidated with lime-based grouts; cement is banned. Where strength is critical, we add concealed stainless helical reinforcement.
Step 3 – Compatible Finishes
Walls are re-lined with NHL lime plasters or breathable insulating renders. This allows trapped moisture to escape and prevents salts from bursting through paint.
Step 4 – Structural Integration
When inserting steels or new joists, we design bespoke spreader plates and lime-crete pads to carry the load without crushing the crumbly core.
For homeowners who need proof for insurers or building control, we provide full photographic reports and engineer-stamped drawings.
Case Study: Saving a Regency Townhouse in Kemp Town
• Problem: A homeowner removed a chimney breast without realising the party wall was primarily bungaroosh. Cracks appeared within weeks, and the neighbour’s cornice started dropping.
• Solution: Safe-Bricks installed a twin-flitch steel spreader supported on lime-cast pads, stitched the wall with 120 m of stainless helical bar, and re-plastered with insulating cork-lime render.
• Outcome: Wall movement stopped immediately; thermal performance improved by 15 %.
DIY vs Professional Intervention
| Task | Low-risk DIY? | Why You May Need a Specialist |
|---|---|---|
| Surface re-plastering with lime | Possibly | Needs the right mix and curing conditions |
| Hanging kitchen units | No | Fixings can tear out under load |
| Installing RSJs or removing walls | Absolutely not | Requires structural design and load-spread detailing |
| Injecting chemical DPC | Never | Traps moisture; accelerates decay |
When in doubt, call a qualified bungaroosh contractor before opening walls or drilling fixings.
Book a Bungaroosh Health Check
If your Brighton & Hove property predates WWII, a quick inspection now can prevent expensive structural failures later.
• Free 10-minute phone triage to discuss symptoms
• Fixed-price on-site assessment—no hidden extras
• Full digital report accepted by mortgage lenders and insurers
Visit Bungaroosh Repairs in Brighton & Hove for details, pricing and FAQs.
Check out our reviews and book directly through our Google Business Profile. For more details on how we repair bungaroosh walls in Brighton & Hove, visit our dedicated service page.
Preserving Brighton’s Heritage, One Wall at a Time
Bungaroosh is part of what makes Brighton’s streetscapes unique. With sympathetic materials, modern engineering know-how and a bit of respect for the past, we can protect that heritage while delivering warm, stable and stylish homes.
Got questions about bungaroosh—or any other quirky construction challenge? Get in touch, and let’s keep Brighton’s buildings standing strong for another two centuries.
Author: Rupert De La Mare
Managing Director, Safe-Bricks Limited – Specialists in Historic & Structural Renovation
