Area guide
Painting & decorating in Campden Hill
Campden Hill calls for a house-specific brief. Show how the rooms, lower-ground spaces and entrance relate, and identify the retained details before deciding which surfaces need preparation, repair or a new finish.
A square developed in different phases
RBKC’s Kensington appraisal traces Campden Hill Square to an 1823 development scheme. It describes varied three- to five-storey houses with lower ground floors, stock brick, stucco and sash windows. The square’s different phases of building explain why a single neighbouring house is an incomplete specification reference.
The same appraisal describes Aubrey Road as a former service road, Hillsleigh Road’s stables and coach houses, and studio conversions or successors to coach houses in Aubrey Walk. If your property has an altered layout, provide a simple plan with the photographs so the enquiry reflects its present arrangement.
For a taller house, divide the stairwell from the adjoining rooms and show its full height. List window shutters, panelled doors and any cornice individually. For a smaller converted building, identify awkward junctions, overhead areas and the intended furniture position before discussing the finish.
Use the Kensington appraisal for the right address
Campden Hill is treated as a character area within RBKC’s Kensington Conservation Area appraisal. Check the mapped boundary and any property-specific controls rather than assuming the whole neighbourhood has one designation. Ask for the listing information where relevant.
Historic England explains that listed protection normally includes interiors. A room’s decorative details therefore belong in the initial enquiry, not only the facade. Before changing or disturbing retained features, establish which elements are significant and whether the proposed work needs consent.
Keep the agreed preparation and final appearance together in the specification. If the investigation finds a different underlying surface or earlier decoration, pause that part of the proposal for advice instead of treating the original colour choice as permission for any preparation method.
Stairs, lower-ground access and the street
Show both the main entrance and any lower-ground route. Identify steps, narrow turns and the rooms through which materials would pass. Agree the protection and temporary storage for each route; a direct line on a floor plan may still cross a room that needs to remain in use.
Exterior scaffold on an RBKC public highway belongs in the highway-licence discussion. For deliveries, check the unloading location and where the vehicle can move afterwards. The borough’s yellow-line dispensation is not permission to leave a vehicle outside throughout the decorating work.
Give the enquiry a vertical section
- The full postcode, floor levels and rooms to be included.
- Views showing the whole stairwell and any lower-ground entrance.
- A separate list of windows, doors, shutters and decorative plasterwork.
- Conservation or listing records and any building-access instructions.
Services for your brief
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Tell us what needs decorating.
Share the rooms, surface condition and full postcode. Photographs and a short description help us understand the work before discussing a quotation.