"Who, travelling from Norfolk to London, whether by the Ipswich or
Cambridge line, has not noticed the numerous colour-washed or black
(tarred) cottage, farmhouse and agricultural buildings scattered
practically all along the countryside? Some of these are of studwork and
plaster, some of wattle and daub, but many are built of clay made up
into lumps, sun-dried, and built into the walls with a soft clay-mixture
as mortar. No lime _need_ be used, though sometimes it is mixed with the
clay mortar. The preparation, digging, exposure and mixing with short
straw are similar to the Devonshire 'cob' work, but in these parts the
worked clay is thrown into moulds, and lumps are formed of, say, 18 in.
by 12 in. by 6 in., or 18 in. by 9 in. by 6 in. for large sizes, and for
inside walling or backing to brick-faced walls, 18 in. by 6 in. by 6 in.
The walls, naturally, are rough in texture and the joints are generally
stopped up and besmeared with a thin coating or almost a wash of clay.
This coating sometimes has lime mixed with it, but it is not necessary.
This is all that is needed to complete the walling, and there is a
building--a malting, that any one can see at Tivetshall Station on the
Ipswich line, about 200 ft. long, 45 ft. or 50 ft. wide and three floors
high, built of lumps 18 in. by 12 in. by 6 in.--that has stood the
weather and weight of its roof for forty years built in this way; 12 in.
is the thickness of its walls. A further stage in finish is to give the
walls two or three coats of coal tar, but it is not essential, though
desirable where stock are kept, as cattle are rather fond of licking the
clay, and they do not use their horns much when walls are tarred. The
highest finish in this work is to cast sand on the last coating of tar
before it is quite dry, and then to colour or whitewash on this. This
accounts for the variety of colourings seen in these buildings, some
even of a kind of pink or red; while some yellow or buff, beside the
white and the black or tarred buildings, and all huddled together or
standing apart, whether covered with thatch or red pan or flat tiles,
look remarkably in harmony with their surroundings. These lump walls
are, of course, built on a base of brickwork, about 18 in. or 2 ft.
high, to keep them free from damp. This kind of walling can be built for
_at least_ 15 per cent. or 20 per cent. cheaper than ordinary 9 in.
brickwork. Thin as these walls are compared with those of 'cob' houses,
they are noted for being warm in winter and cool in summer. When
suitable clay is procurable a local builder almost invariably uses clay
lumps when building a house for himself, though to gratify a whim
perhaps, he will case the outside walls--especially the front next the
street or road--with brickwork. But clay lumps he carefully reserves for
inside walls and weight-carrying linings to the outside walls, bonding
the two together very much in the same way as two 4-1/2 in. 'cavity
walls' are bonded. I am not suggesting that this walling is as
interesting artistically as 'cob,' but I do suggest it is a practical,
sensible and _dry_ walling, and if properly done it will 'last for
ever,' as a local builder repeatedly said to me when speaking of it.
One can easily see why the cost is light--the sun and the winds do the
drying in the spring months, and no coals are required, and also the
clay is often found on the building site, hence no cartage. Actual
building work naturally goes quickly, as the lumps are large. There is
another important point to notice. One may see a building complete with
its roof on and occupied by its tenant while still awaiting an outside
casing of brickwork to be built round it, either with a view to greater
protection or for the mere vanity of the owner, for while thus left
unprotected the lump walls take no harm from even winter exposure. Now
to be quite practical in these extremely practical days, I venture to
suggest that the use of clay lumps at least for inside walls and
linings of outside walls would be an immense boon to the numerous
cottage-building schemes now being projected. We must not forget that
comparatively few bricks will be available this year, while the cottages
are wanted at once. Can these few bricks be better used than by forming
foundations and chimneys for the clay-lump walls of these cottages? I
think not. The cottages could, of course, be occupied in the late summer
or autumn of this year, and next year when bricks will be more plentiful
perhaps the brick casings could be added, if brickwork _must_ complete
them. I make this strictly utilitarian suggestion solely to meet a very
urgent and deep national need. Personally, I prefer the sight of a
cottage built and finished in the old-established method of the
locality. Unskilled labour only is required, working under intelligent
supervision, hence immediate employment for a great number of men would
be provided."