Advice on what to do about broken brickwork

[MCC]

Hello!
We are right at the beginning of a project, and while we waited for replumbing, etc etc, we have removed cracked cement render from the gable end. This was on top of brickwork, which itself is the external wall to an internal stone one for two of the three floors. The house is a real hodgepodge.
We are in Dorset, and most of the house walls are just thick stone walls, but both gable ends are externally brickwork, I'm not sure why, but I suspect it was pretty crumbly at some point and the brick held it up.
Okay, getting to the point, some of the brick is okay, some of the cement is still stuck on as I'm too scared to chip it off - and might try gently by hand. I would ideally like it to still be brick, as it is much softer and prettier than the render. So might it still be possible to repoint it? And keep it stable and watertight?
But we are thinking about potentially, if we can't repoint it, of a lime 'slurry' or a lime render.
Here are some pictures from right at the beginning and a couple of days ago.
Thank you so much for any advice or thoughts!

 

[Kearn]

Brick gables could well have gone on as a fashion statement… a bit like dressing up the front elevation only.

Absolutely right to get it off, but sadly, that nasty jacket has done its damage. Those were lovely soft old bricks, but way more than just the fire skin has gone, so they will absorb water like nobodies business without protection. It may not penetrate all the way through stone walls, but it’s not what you want.
So just pointing isn’t an option.
Which leaves:
limewashing, which I wouldn’t feel gave enough protection for that level of damage, and needs regular reapplication as it’s sacrificial.
Bag rub, where you’ll still get to see the outlines of the brick form, but get a think layer of lime render on.
Render fully, you lose the visual but the elevation gets maximum protection with minimal future intervention, and a bit like our three story gable that I’m currently putting back together, you don’t really want to be revisiting this regularly!

For what it’s worth, looks like the bricks have traces of lime wash on their faces.

 

[Kearn]

House or barn by the way?
Certainly has a utlitiarian feel to it, especially the central (loading) windows.
Our project is a timber framed barn, odd in that it’s also three story and wouldn’t have been agricultural in origin. The central panel of the gable was originally 3 openings, one full height per floor, the rails/windows all later insertions.
Research to date says wool barn for us, given our location was one of a few nationwide epicentres for the wool trade for close to 500years. However, there are very few in existence and ours wasn’t built to last, it’s only here now as it was a very early barn conversion somewhere around 1600…

 

[MCC]

Thank you so much Kearn for your thoughts. I’d never heard of bag rub, so that’s incredibly helpful.
What a beautiful house you have! People suggest one end was a cottage, with some kind of wash house and barn attached. They say wash house because of a small section of barrel ceiling… perhaps something for another post!
Thanks again!

 

[Kearn]

Thank you so much Kearn for your thoughts. I’d never heard of bag rub, so that’s incredibly helpful.
What a beautiful house you have! People suggest one end was a cottage, with some kind of wash house and barn attached. They say wash house because of a small section of barrel ceiling… perhaps something for another post!
Thanks again!

It’s basically what you probably meant by slurry. Think Cornish Lime have a decent how to guide on their site…

Can’t initially imagine why a barrel ceiling would help with washing!?! Intriguing…

We have an 1700s brewhouse/bakehouse/washouse out back - the ultimate utility room over the centuries! Washouse would need a copper and base and a small chimney - any traces/evidence of either? Plus a close water source ideally… well/pump either in the room or just outside.

That end certainly looks very industrial storage, 3 floors is highly unlikely agricultural.

Our house looked terrible back then, it’s very different right now free of the modern paint and crap, endless timber repairs, infill penal and pointing, even if we are still making holes…!

 

[aockenden]

Agreed with Kearn. Looks like the cement is pulling off a lot of the brick faces and they’ll do best over the medium to long term with a full thickness uniform lime render.

 

[MCC]

Agreed with Kearn. Looks like the cement is pulling off a lot of the brick faces and they’ll do best over the medium to long term with a full thickness uniform lime render.

Thank you! Agreement from our local lime renderers too... but you never know if you're asking them. Thanks so much!