Large ceiling cracks

PeteW

Hi, we're redecorating our hallway and have taken down the coving around the ceiling. When doing this I have found some quite substantial cracks in the plaster - see photo.

It's a 1930s semi, and this crack runs along the inside of the un-attached exterior wall.

I've seen hairline cracks in our downstairs ceiling before, but nothing as big as this which are (at a guess) 5mm across in some parts.

Are these anything to worry about? Is this normal cosmetic damage in a house this age or could there be a more structural underlying issue?

Cheers

Pete

maninthestreet

Any sign of cracking on the outside of that wall??
Saw a property program a little while ago where a CS stated that if you draw a line perpendicular to the line taken by any crack that is due to movement of any sort, it will 'point' to the source of the said movement.

Gloomendoom

I'd just put the coving back and forget about it.

EssexExile

Was the coving there when you bought the place? Any signs of cracks in or around the coving? If the coving's been there a long time & shows no sign of damage I'd assume the movement has stopped & follow Gloomendoom's advice.

I've a 1950s house & found some similar cracks when I removed some built-in furniture. I just filled them & redecorated, that was several years ago & everything is still fine.

PeteW

By the look of the coving, it'd been there for decades.
The coving wasn't cracked, but you could see a few hairline cracks around it, but nothing major.