Sitting on the computer last night, 11pm or so, house is all quiet and I hear an almighty bang. Thinking my new kitten has knocked something major in the kitchen I rush downstairs and a view of devastation greets me.

For all of you with slightly cracked lathe and plaster construction ceilings take this as a warning. They are old and can fall at any time and the consequences if someone is underneath them don’t bear thinking about. Just a smallish piece of the old plaster weighs a ton and would crack a head open in an instant, it is very dangerous and as you can see below some of the pieces that fell down in my room are very large.

I am truly grateful that nobody was injured but I will never look at a slightly cracked and patched up Edwardian or Victorian ceiling again in the same way, especially if it’s above a table I am having dinner at!

I am also appalled at my insurance company’s attitude which is Gresham via Barclays Bank. Because there is no obvious sign of water damage I am apparently not insured for this, not only that but because I didn’t tick the box that asks if I wanted Additional Accidental Damage cover as well as the standard Accidental Insurance cover I cannot claim for any of the other damage to the furniture, carpet etc. Well they won’t be getting my business next time, that’s for sure.

There's a hole in my ceiling!

Some of the plaster chunks are quite sizeable, look at the back of the sideboard.

Well that would have stopped the dinner conversation!

All photos by Smudgetikka – all rights reserved

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2012