Coverage · Hampstead, St John's Wood, Camden and Islington
Basement waterproofing in North London.
North London runs from the sand-capped height of Hampstead down to the Georgian terraces of Camden and Islington, and the water behaves differently at each stage of that descent. The assumption that elevation means dryness is wrong here more often than anywhere else we work: the top of the hill has the spring line, and the streets below it sit on the rivers that spring line feeds.
The ground across north London
What you are building into.
| Geology | London Clay, capped on the Hampstead ridge by Bagshot Sand and Claygate Beds |
|---|---|
| Groundwater | The high ground is the wet ground here, which catches people out. Water moving down through the permeable sand on Hampstead meets the clay beneath and emerges as a spring line — both the Fleet and the Tyburn rise on this ridge and run south through Camden and Islington in culverts. |
| Housing stock | Georgian and Victorian terraces, large detached villas on the Hampstead slopes, St John's Wood semi-detached housing on generous plots |
| Planning | Camden operates a restrictive basement policy and requires a Basement Impact Assessment covering ground conditions, hydrology and the effect on neighbouring properties. Islington applies similar scrutiny. Both want to see that the hydrology has been understood rather than assumed. |
On the Hampstead slopes we design for perched water and strong lateral seepage through uphill-facing walls, which is drained protection territory almost without exception. Further down, in Camden and Islington, the problem returns to the familiar London pattern — clay, culverted rivers, and failed historic tanking on Victorian terraces.
4 areas
Find your area.
Each area below has its own notes on the geology, the groundwater and the housing stock, because the right specification genuinely changes from one postcode to the next.
What we do
The systems we install.
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Tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs a full waterproofing system or something much simpler.