Rising damp in a Victorian house

Habbakuk

This is what I'm finding under the plaster. There was some dampness at the bottom of the wall shown in an earlier image; but it wasn't that bad. I'm tempted to strip the whole wall like this. What does one need to do to make it look good?

SG27

Habbakuk wrote: »

I spoke to an Estate Agent yesterday and I showed him the above photo of the 'rising damp'. He made a few points which were interesting. Firstly, he said that looking at the photo, the problem wasn't that bad. He then said to try and dry it with some fesh air - make sure it's well ventilated. Then, if its still damp, take off the plaster. It is a stone wall. And see if this will dry out now that it's able to 'breathe'. If it does dry, then point it. If not, the lime plaster it.

I should also obviously look at the patio area and water flow when it rains heavily etc.

What do others think on here about his suggestions?

That's about the most sensible thing I've heard quoted from an estate agent!

Habbakuk

Of course, I have now found out it isn't a stone wall but a red brick one. The property has a cellar and the walls in ther are stone walls. I assumed that the whole house must be the same. Anyway, I would like to expose this brickwork. Any suggestion from people who have done this?