The reason walls 'bulge' on some of town's oldest terraces as Victorian brickwork copes with stress of modern life

When Mona Turner moved into her terraced home in Darwen 33 years ago she knew nothing of its history.

Digging deeper into the past of Westwell Terrace, which runs along the A666 Blackburn Road in Darwen, Mona uncovered that her own house, on the end, was built in 1834. The remainder was completed in stages.

She also discovered the reason for its name.

"The family who lived in my house first were the Westwells," Mona said. "The main road was called East Road then, not Blackburn Road, and Westwell Street next to us was named after the family who I believe were involved in building the houses."

READ MORE:

• 'We were fed false promises and now we're trapped in our avenue by a Tesco'

• 'I'm 95 and voted in every General Election I can - but now I've been told I can't'

Several homes along the A666 close to Hollins Grove in Darwen are showing signs of bowing; where the exterior walls and window lintels can be seen to be 'bulging' or sinking. The problem can be common in Victorian properties although Mona's house isn't one of those affected.

As is common with Victorian properties, bowing masonry can be caused by insufficient wall ties connected to the main body of the building, with environmental factors such as heavier loads on floors and ground vibrations - such as being on a busy main road, often causing the walls to bulge outwards.

"I've never noticed any problems with my house but the road gets busier and busier every year," 87-year-old Mona said. "I ran a bridalwear shop from my house for 15 years and I've seen the increase in traffic.

"It starts at around 8am and doesn't stop until 6.30pm when it suddenly disappears. But I do like living here. The houses have fascinating histories."

Maureen Johnson, whose elderly father lives in one of the properties showing signs of bowing, said he began noticing the phenomenon around 10 years ago. "We've had it looked at and a few years ago they put in some extra ties; it's just showing signs of ageing," she said.

"It is frustrating how busy the road is but there's no other way if you're driving between Darwen, Blackburn and Bolton. Fortunately speed doesn't seem to be [a problem] but you can't escape the noise of HGVs constantly driving past."

Graham Walker, a retired structural engineer from the Preston area, said that some of the signs of bowing along the A666 are likely to have been caused by heavy traffic.

"You have to remember that, when these houses were built, traffic effectively didn't exist," he told LancsLive. "Now of course, if you have heavy industry in the area; as you say there is Crown Paints and Herbert Parkinson who both have regular heavy goods vehicle deliveries.

"These houses are on a main road which has thousands of vehicle movements every day, so it's no wonder these Victorian properties are starting to show signs of structural issues.

"Fortunately there are ways of resolving them such as through additional ties and restraints but I'd always recommend seeking a specialist opinion because the underlying cause can be many different things."