Straw, Sticks and Stones

Straw, sticks and stones are three key traditional building materials in the story of the wolf and the three pigs: a story which perhaps demonstrates the need to have the right materials to hand for building conservation projects…!

The most recent English Heritage  Conservation bulletin is on the theme of building materials.  It contains two short articles which show the huge importance of sustainable sources of traditional building materials.

The first article ‘The Strategic Stone Study -matching stone sources to end uses‘ is by Tarnia McAlester, who explains the important links between geology, quarry sites and availability of appropriate materials for repairing historic buildings in particular landscapes.  More information about the Strategic Stone Study can also be found at the British Geological Survey website.  There has also been a good work done on such issues by Historic Scotland’s Conservation Group who have produced Technical Advice Notes and Research Papers about traditional materials.  Two reports are of particular interest and available online, including the TAN 12 Quarries of Scotland and TAN 21 Scottish Slate Quarries.

The second article in Conservation bulletin, ‘Ensuring supplies of suitable thatching straw‘ by Stephen Letch, explains that problems with supplies of thatching straw has led to an increased use of imported water reeds as an alternative material.  This led to the formation of the National Thatching Straw Growers Association who are doing growing trials on different varieties of wheat crop to establish what conditions are required to produce the best straw for different applications and techniques.

However, the maintenance of sources of traditional building materials is not simply a historic building conservation issue, they also allow architects to incorporate these materials into new buildings in ways which can be more sympathetic to the setting of historic buildings and to the character of the broader landscape.  Indeed, the growth of traditional crops, and a greater number of varieties in our landscapes, would help with biodiversity, and is perhaps more sustainable than importing from across the world.

That’s got to make the big bad wolf happier…?

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The Art of Stonehenge

Further insights into art and creativity in the past have recently been revealed at Stonehenge. Analysis of a laser scan of Stonehenge, commissioned by English Heritage, has discovered many more prehistoric rock carvings on the surface of the stones. It has also revealed that the surfaces of the stones were finished differently.  Those stones on the north-east side of the monument have a finer surface finish, perhaps emphasising the importance of viewing the monument from this direction during the mid winter solstice.

More details can be found in the report.

A great example of the application of modern technology in helping understand creativity in the past.