Advice for Growing a 'Creeper' on Wall

[ColdoRS]

I won't lie, a neighbour up the street has a lovely ivy looking thing growing from ground level, up over his front door under his upstairs windows and it looks great. We're in an area of historical interest and it's relatively leafy, so this is in keeping with the rest of the growth around our area.

That said, I'm not at all green fingered so need some pointers.

Do I need to worry about it taking root between the bricks and pulling my house down in 10 years?
What's the best plant to use - I recognise ivy but believe this is a bit of a generic term for these type of plants?
I'd like it to be relatively fast growing.
I'd like it to flower seasonally.
I'd like it to be easy to maintain - don't mind pruning it every so often.
Ideally free of sap or sticky pollen etc...

What are my options?

[ColdoRS]

Thanks guys, lots of good info for me to read more into. Also taking onboard the 'don't' advice.

The wall is north facing and just a bit bare - needs something on it in my opinion but reluctant to take on a labour intensive piece of greenery as I'm not particularly passionate about gardening!