Is it true climbing Ivy causes damage to brickwork?

Personally I'd find something different to disguise the ugly pipes - put up trellising in front or around them and grow something you know wont wreak the wall given half a chance. I've seen to many walls where the ivy has done considerable damage. Ivy can, and does, look beautiful growing through a tree but get it near a wall or fence and...

Ivy can and WILL break into the smallest of cracks in brickwork particularly and pull out all the cement...like MG say - I would go for something kinder if I were you! If you fancy a nice Virginia creeper ....OK they can be fairly vigorous too - but at least you have a chance of keeping an eye on it and stopping the damage before it starts....it is nice and colourful too in the autumn particularly.

I absolutely agree - don't even think about Ivy on a brick wall!

Virginia creeper doesn't penetrate the wall - it sticks to it with little pads! So no harm to your walls from that. Its only downside is that it is deciduous.

Sorry all but you are quite wrong and I am prepared to stake my reputation on it!!!

Hedera is no more damaging to brickwork than Virginia Creeper (which is actually quite hopeless at climbing, whereas Boston Ivy, a type of Virginia Creeper is much better). The roots Hedera uses to cling do not penetrate the brickwork at all. They grow flat against the bricks and the tiny microscopic hairs grip the wall by creating a massive surface area (like the pads on a Gecko's foot). After a few weeks, they die (the clinging roots) but remain there holding the Ivy (Hedera) securely.

Complete fallacy!

What happened to our house was that the ivy was so vigorous that it actually grew under the coping stones (we had a flat roof) and started to push them off! Not good...

The stem was like a tree trunk and the whole thing was like a tree. I wouldn't plant that again. So much trouble! I have three species of Virginia creeper on different walls - it's much easier. :-)

Ah, the stems growing through things can be a problem. I was referring to the attachment roots. Like all climbers, cut them back when they approach guttering etc.

The ivy we removed from the south gable end of our house did considerable damage... never ever would I let ivy near our house again!

And, our present house is built of stone. It's listed, and it had ivy on one wall. The County Conservation Officer told us to kill it and get it off as it would damage the old stone...it had.

It was stone the ivy got onto on our house wall Spritz... sandstone - not funny. Fractal it was nowhere near the gutters just wrecking the wall, we ended up having to have faced and painted to disguise.

I am having real trouble getting the dead stems off the wall without damaging the stone any more.

Poor Raymi - I bet you didn't expect all these horror stories, did you?

Hear Hear ...I suffered badly when our ivy climbed along a boundary wall first of all...no problem with that....but it then sneaked under the tiles of the bathroom wing and lifted the roof!!
Before we had time to get the roofer in (always a busy guy!) the dratted thing was waving long tendrils in the loo window....I always warned visitors not to sit too long or it would strangle them LOL I would not let it near a house ever again....and I have oceans of the stuff all round my boundary walls...the birds adore it - but it is controlled!!!
On the other hand the Virginia creeper on my house is fantastic and I have lived in several houses that are clothed in it with absolutely no damage - it is SO much easier to control because when the leaves fall off - you can see where to cut it back to...well away from gutters etc...easy!!