Building a flint wall
Chris Smith
flint panel wall. I would like to build such a beast along my frontage;
about 4' high capped with half round bricks set perpendicular to the line of
the wall - you know the kind of thing.
Does anyone know of any reference material, internet resource etc etc that I
might consult for guidance? I have never undertaken this kind of thing
before - though have laid bricks before.
It is my understanding that you cannot lay more than 1' in height at a time
because flints do not absorb moisture from the (lime) mortar - and the wet
mixture has a tendency to sag under its own weight. Beyond that - I know
nothing.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks.
Ed Sirett
Suffolk.
I remember him saying that he'd built a narrow concrete wall first and was
now just laying the flints upaginst it.
Ed Sirett
Property Maintainer - North London.
Chris Smith wrote in message <8d0hd2$mgb$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com>...
Nightjar
Chris Smith <C.P....@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:8d0hd2$mgb$1...@neptunium.btinternet.com...
> Living in Norfolk, one of the 'indiginous' boundaries for a property
is a
> flint panel wall. I would like to build such a beast along my
frontage;
> about 4' high capped with half round bricks set perpendicular to the
line of
> the wall - you know the kind of thing.
>
> Does anyone know of any reference material, internet resource etc etc
that I
> might consult for guidance? I have never undertaken this kind of thing
> before - though have laid bricks before.
>
> It is my understanding that you cannot lay more than 1' in height at a
time
> because flints do not absorb moisture from the (lime) mortar - and the
wet
> mixture has a tendency to sag under its own weight. Beyond that - I
know
> nothing.
Down here in Zuzzex, flint walling is also common. A friend who
virtually re-built a flint cottage had to build the 2m high flint
boundary wall from scratch. He got the flint by offering to remove them
from a farmer's field on the Downs.
He built a concrete block wall, 100mm wide, as a core. That had brick
rows at the foot and brick piers at intervals of about 2.5-3m. The
bricks were laid thicker to be visible on the finished wall but the
blockwork was to be hidden by the flints (on both sides). Obviously he
built the end and corner piers high enough to hold a builder's line.
Otherwise, he started by building two rows of blockwork (and
corresponding brickwork) high, went back and filled in with flint to
cover the bottom row of blocks. He then went back and built a third row
of blocks, then returned to infill to the height of the second row with
flints, and so on. He finished the wall with a brick capping. It sounds
a lot like what you want to do, although rather higher. Unless you are
building a very short piece of wall, or work very quickly, I suspect
that getting above 1m high before the mortar sets is not that likely.
Colin Bignell
Andrew Heggie
<C.P....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Living in Norfolk, one of the 'indiginous' boundaries for a property is a
>flint panel wall. I would like to build such a beast along my frontage;
>about 4' high capped with half round bricks set perpendicular to the line of
>the wall - you know the kind of thing.
>
>Does anyone know of any reference material, internet resource etc etc that I
>might consult for guidance? I have never undertaken this kind of thing
>before - though have laid bricks before.
Two points:
1: I have worked at a property in Surrey where a new garage was built
next to the old knapped flint house. The garage was constructed with a
veneer of concrete blocks which had been made with flint embedded in
them. It gave a good enough effect for planning control but looked a
bit naff to my untutored eye.
2: The weald and downland open air museum at Singleton Sussex did run
courses in old building techniques, including flint knapping for
construction. They definitely still run the one on green oak timber
framing.
AJH
>
Andrew
<andrew...@dtn.ntl.com> writes<snip>
>: The weald and downland open air museum at Singleton Sussex did run
>courses in old building techniques, including flint knapping for
>construction. They definitely still run the one on green oak timber
>framing.
phone Diana Rowsell on 01243 811363
>AJH
>>
>
--
Andrew
Chris French and Helen Johnson
<and...@skydata.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <tpl9fs408170hlecu...@4ax.com>, Andrew Heggie
><andrew...@dtn.ntl.com> writes
>>On Wed, 12 Apr 2000 01:52:37 +0100, "Chris Smith"
>><C.P....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>
><snip>
>>: The weald and downland open air museum at Singleton Sussex did run
>>courses in old building techniques, including flint knapping for
>>construction. They definitely still run the one on green oak timber
>>framing.
The British Trust For Consevation volunteers do this sort of thing (the
local Sussex group did anyway I expect they do in Norfolk as well. Thry
also sometimes run some courses.
you could try contacting their local county office for some help.
Try their website for starters I guess:
http://www.btcv.org.uk/
--
Chris French, Leeds
john_h_schmitt
<C.P....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>It is my understanding that you cannot lay more than 1' in
height at a time
>because flints do not absorb moisture from the (lime) mortar -
and the wet
>mixture has a tendency to sag under its own weight. Beyond that
- I know
>nothing.
The 1' limitation seems quite reasonable, as flint is almost
completely non-absorbent. The upside of such a construction is
its extreme longevity. St. Albans cathedral in Hertfordshire is a
patchwork of at least six building periods, having suffered a
rather bad run of luck generally. The oldest parts are of flint
and lime mortar construction, and are approximately 900 years
old. There is also a Roman wall nearby which is in a poor state
of repair, made with the same materials plus some clay tile
brickwork which is over twice as old. I suggest you pencil in
some time around the year 3000 to apply preventive maintenance to
the wall.
John Schmitt
Please do not try this or anything else at home.
-Tomorrow's World
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