Gallery
Rubble Trench
Path wall
Owen and Guy - happy stone masons!
Guy and Harriet in situ in their beautiful stone wall
Clement and the beginnings of a cob wall
Guy itching to stamp some cob
the new team after a hard days cobbing
volunteer weekends inspired dozens of new cobbers
we found cob girls to be small...
and large...
just like a cob loaf in the oven, the wall rises (thanks for the neat pointing Jim)
preparing for the straw bales (very carefully!)
and staking the first one on
Rob 'thumbing' the wall
Emilie Butcher does her thing
Growing heros! Using up waste whenever possible
Clem's organic cubby holes built into the wall
Corbelling an arch for the 'gnome door'
And taking out the framework
the studio from a tree
Chris plastering the straw bales
Sarah and her ingenious anti-cob-hair device
Through the front door
Ridge beam waiting to go up
And it's up! With reclaimed antique pine rafters ...
which change colour in the light
And courtesy of Andre ...
The back of the house is boarded!
with the front completed soon after
and suddenly we were on a roll! with a box section
filled with sheepswool
covered with membrane
and put to bed for winter (it'll be going green next spring)
meanwhile down below, more artistry was taking place. A cob book shelf
a toasty rocket stove and bench
and some beautiful linseed oiled window frames
and suddenly our little mud hut looks like a magnificent building
especially early in the morning
17th December 2006
It has been a busy few months of roofing, cobbing (yes it seems that there is ALWAYS more cob to be done) and thanks to our committed troupe of full-time and part time helpers, there is always someone prepared to do the unthinkable...
wash gravel every day for a week
and keep smiling!
mix cob in December
work by lamplight with tornados spinning outside
cast aside macho facades to feel sheepswool against their bare cheeks
Laying on the Soil - with Drainage gravel/stones around the edge
The first roll off turf
Turf complete - bring on the Teletubbies