I live in a 1920s mid-terraced house, that at some time in the past was
rendered front and back. The rendering at the front of the house
currently has a large bubble in it, and I'm not sure if the best fix
would be to replace the rendering completely or remove all of it and go
back to bare brickwork.

What's the opinion of the group? Will fresh rendering benefit by
giving a protective layer over the brickwork, or can I get away with
having it all removed (and having the pointing done at the same time)?

The front of the house faces east, and the majority of the rain I get
comes from the west and hits the rear of the property. Personally I
don't particularly like rendering, but if there's a benefit from having
it replaced then so be it.

TIA