What have we unearthed behind the wallpaper?!

[Eslteacher06]

We have took the wallpaper off the wall because we are redecorating and the paper was coming off the wall anyway. I have noticed these black spots on picture 1.

The wall feels dry but the paper smelt musty. Is there anything to worry about?

The chimneys did leak a few years before we bought the house and the old owner had to wait a long time for the neighbors to fix it.

I think we should repaper, but my husband thinks we can paint it with anti mould primer.

Wwyd?

It looks like mould I would clean it with a mould cleaner in the first instance

I think that’s mould, and you should just treat it. I’m not sure painting previously papered walls is a great idea, we have ours lined because the wall is usually damaged by taking the paper off

the black is probably mildew.

Is it on a chimneybreast that is not ventilated top and bottom?

It has a chimney breast on the neighbours wall and the chimney was capped off. It's along the whole wall though? Not just the chimney section.

then there must be another source of damp. Is there a bathroom above? How high above the ground does the damp stain start and finish?

I couldn't make it out in your photo.

Stripping off the wallpaper will be better because it will allow damp to evaporate off the wall.

Is that new pink plaster on the bottom half of the wall where a "damp proofing" company has been having a go?

You need to make sure if it is a sealed chimney that it is vented at the bottom and the top...or you are in for a whole heap of issues....you may even get the Salts.....

@PigletJohn - it's not new plaster. I'd say it's been there a while but done more recently than the rest.

@LordOftheRingz I wondered about that! There are two chimneys. There are vents in the top two bedrooms but not downstairs. I don't know about next door (where this wall is) but they 'own' the chimneys. They got a lot of damp from the storm damage that led to the chimneys leaking and being capped off.

I would be checking the ownership, I would assume that you own any chimney that comes from your breast. Houses that are sharing a stack of two flues are usually both liable for the maintenance.