poor repointing job.

When pointing a house you have to ensure the materials used do not block the moisture inside the bricks as this will encourage spalling brickwork and moisture retention that may cause damp inside the house. If you have thermal bridging it may cause damp inside and black mould. I have been trained by a professor in damp and module and qualified.

It’s the hardest mix they make - basically pure cement-heavy stuff meant for below DPC or really harsh structural work. For a 1950s place you’d want something softer like Designation ii or iii so the mortar can flex a bit and doesn’t fight the bricks. They probably went with the gun to keep the brick faces clean and get the job done quicker. Chipping these bricks is almost impossible to avoid completely though, especially when the joints are narrower than the raking blade.