Cracked walls due to lintel failure

This retaining wall in North London had been showing signs of bowing due to insufficient drainage and poorly maintained trees. A cause for concern in any retaining wall, this was particularly urgent to address because the wall adjoined a public footpath, meaning a failure of the wall could result in injury or even death which the property owner would be liable for.

This Victorian property in London, like many others of it’s era, was experiencing cracking to the front of the structure, either side of the bay window. This is a common problem in properties across the country but particularly in the capital where Victorian housing was often put up quickly and cheaply and resulted in substandard foundations being used beneath the bay windows.

The retaining wall runs alongside a public walkway between the River Lee and the elevated Tesco car park. The wall holds back a huge volume of earth and is therefore under a great deal of stress. Over the years, these forces, along with environmental factors, including freeze-thaw, moisture, and vegetation, have caused outward bowing, cracking, and risk of collapse. Being alongside a walkway means that there was a risk of injury to the public.