Electrician in Wallingford

One of England's oldest towns

When the Domesday Book was compiled, Wallingford was listed among only 18 towns in England with more than 2,000 people. The remains of its castle still stand by the river. By 2011 the population had reached about 11,600.

Later centuries brought industry. Wallingford once had 17 maltings, and iron founding and machinery production continued in the town until the 1980s. Many of the town-centre houses and shops have been altered repeatedly over the years, so their wiring can be a patchwork from several different decades.

Rewiring inside the conservation area

Wallingford's conservation area covers most of the old town, and there are separate conservation areas at Winterbrook, Cholsey and Benson. In buildings of this age, a rewire needs to be planned around solid walls, old floor structures and sometimes listed features. We survey first, agree routes with you, and lift and relay floorboards carefully rather than cutting into walls where that can be avoided.

Where only part of the house is outdated, a partial rewire and a new consumer unit can make the whole installation safe without disturbing every room.

Former maltings and workshop buildings that have been converted into homes need particular thought. Their large open spaces, high ceilings and thick walls change how lighting is laid out and where cables can run, and the original supply arrangements rarely suit residential use. We look at the whole building before recommending how to wire it.

See: house rewires.

Hithercroft Road and local businesses

Hithercroft Road on the western edge of town is Wallingford's commercial area, home to industrial and trade units and a Lidl that opened in 2019. Units here need three-phase supplies, distribution boards, warehouse lighting and periodic inspection and testing for insurers and landlords. Being about 15 miles from Lyford makes the town an easy run for planned commercial work.

See: commercial testing.

Villages around the town

We also cover the villages that surround Wallingford, including Crowmarsh Gifford across the bridge, Cholsey, Benson, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell and the Winterbrook area to the south. These mix older brick and flint cottages with newer houses, and some are off the gas grid, relying on electric or oil heating.

Landlords in Wallingford

Census 2021 figures for South Oxfordshire as a whole show 15.9% of homes privately rented. In Wallingford many lets are flats above shops or small terraced houses. Landlords need an Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every five years, and we explain any observations and quote separately for remedial work.