Durham: Plaster Coving, Cornice and Ceiling Roses

We deliver plaster cornice and plaster ceiling roses to Durham and the surrounding area at least once a week, so there is never long to wait after placing an order. We use our own vans and drivers to make deliveries to ensure our coving arrives in perfect condition. On delivery our drivers will check that the cornice is handled carefully and stacked safely ready for use. This is especially important on busy or crowded building sites where space can be limited, and damage can occur.

We still make all our plaster mouldings by hand, plaster cornice is cast in 8 foot (2.4M) lengths each one being individually hand made, as are all our ceiling roses. We still use the same techniques and materials that were used in Victorian times to create a product that is indistinguishable from the original. We keep large amounts of finished cornice in stock so that we are able to meet even the largest of orders in a matter of days rather than weeks.

Durham has the third oldest university in England, building commenced on its cathedral and castle in 1093 both of which are considered to be amongst the finest examples in Europe. The Durham coalfield was one of the most productive in the world during the Victorian period and generated the wealth to pay for many fine public buildings, such as Durham town hall completed in the 1850s in the Victorian Gothic style.

Much fine housing was built by the Victorians in areas such as Neville's Cross and Crossgate along with houses for the ever growing number of workers. All of these properties would have originally had a full set of decorative plaster mouldings, that is to say, plaster cornice, ceiling roses, and perhaps panel mouldings and corbels, along with matching timber skirting boards and architraves. Fortunately most of this Victorian decorative plasterwork has survived, however where it has not we have worked on many of the renovations.

Always popular on Victorian restoration projects is swan neck coving so called because it extends further across the ceiling than it does down the wall, LPC017 is one of our larger swan neck cornices and suitable for the high Victorian ceilings that you would find in larger detached and semi detached Victorian properties, LPC030 and MP065 are suitable for above average and average height ceilings respectively. A good choice to complement any swan neck cornice is a plain spun ceiling rose, such as LPR074 or if you would prefer something more ornate LPR060 is a fine Victorian ceiling rose, featuring a bold Acanthus leaf design. If you also need to replace the timber mouldings ARC002 and SB009 are large Victorian skirting boards and architraves of a timber quality and size that are difficult to find these days. Swan neck cornice was used throughout the Victorian period and right through into Edwardian times.

We don't just make plaster cornice for period houses, we have a complete range covering all sizes and styles of property. Designs such as LPC015, a stylish cornice that looks good anywhere with an average or above ceiling height, it is particularly popular for properties built from the 1920’s onwards. If you do not have the ceiling height MPC046 is just as stylish with smaller proportions.

Samples of all our cornice are available off the individual product pages, also on these pages are many photographs of our cornice and ceiling roses in real life settings, these are all pictures sent in by our customers and are the best way to get an idea of how a particular design would look in your own home. It is always surprising just how different the same ceiling rose or cornice can look in different rooms depending on how they have been decorated and furnished. Samples only take a couple of days to arrive.

We would suggest you use experienced cornice fitters to install your coving, not only will they do a better job it should also be cheaper too. They will not have problems with ceilings that are not level or walls that are not straight, all things that are actually just part of the job especially when working on older houses. It is perfectly possible to put it up yourself as long as you take it slowly, and we have some instructional videos on the website. 

We have good contacts with local tradesmen and can put you in contact if required. If you have any other questions or would like any further information or advice please give our customer services team a call, they will be happy to talk to you.