Part 14 (1/2)

It should, however, be constantly borne in es were soinal jack-of-all-trades occupiers, that damp-courses and Portland cees of proper ventilation and the causes of dry-rot were discoveries yet to be es have been sadly neglected either recently or in the past, and they bear the disfiguring marks of their ill-treate that is well found in the beginning, and that is reasonably well cared for subsequently, has nothing to fear froes built in the most approved manner of the ives the following particulars of a block of three chalk cottages recently built for Sir George Cooper on his estate at Hursley, near Winchester:

”The chalk walling was done by Messrs A Annett and Son, of Winterslow, near Salisbury, where thishas been kept alive fro up the soft upper strata of the chalk by putting a bed of it 4 ft 6 in thick on the ground, watering and treading it to a sticky consistency with the feet, working in shortish straw at the sahly mixed by the builder'son the wall immediately above him, the latter catches the chalk, du an 18 in course all round As soon as the weather has dried this sufficiently he goes round with a sharp spade squaring up both sides of the wall As this work is greatly dependent on the weather it is well if theoperations should be co or early summer The wall is built 18 in thick to the first floor joists and 14 in above Chalk in itself being very absorbent of moisture, the usual plan is to render the outside of the ith a lime mortar, which, however, requires renewal every few years To obviate this we fixed with long staples 1 in ive a reinforceed in proportion of 1 to 2 respectively, and left rough fro was done at a cost of 3s 3d per square yard, which is a substantial addition to the cost of the walling, but so far there is no sign of a crack or hollow place behind it, and the cottages have kept very dry The walls were finished off with a li Russian tallow and copperas[9]

[Footnote 9: See recipes for Whitewash in Appendix (I)]

[Headnote: Cost of Three Cottages]

”As regards the cost of this block of three cottages, the result is obscured by the fact that tall chimney-stacks with ornamental bricks and appropriate foundations were built and reinforced leaded lights were used in the s to keep the building in character with the other cottages on the estate, but at the tiainst the a out the building with bricksindependent men The ornamental chimney-stacks were put in for the sake of appearance, flues built up in the chalk being entirely satisfactory and fireproof The foundations are either flint or brick with a slate damp-course

”I consider that for a chalk country this es

”(1) It saves cartage

”(2) It can be carried out by a skilled labourer who can be otherwise e unsuitable weather

”(3) No fuel is required as in burning bricks

”(4) If a suitable rendering is eood daes are nice and dry and keep an equable tee wonders if any method could be devised by chemical means to harden the chalk and ht save the expense of the ce”

CHALK CONGLOMERATE

From _Country Life_, February 23rd, 1901:

”Soft chalk is practically iene, had his e built with it at Andover, just outside the boundaries, in order to escape the tyranny of the bye-laws In several other places this material has been used ties on the Wiltshi+re Downs are as good as any in England”

[Illustration: +Three Chalk Cottages at Hursley Park+]

THE WINTERSLOW COTTAGES

From _Country Life_, April 6th, 1901:

”The white chalk cottages of the scattered straggling village are found in every sort of position They es of rock chalk at Medes

”The house is generally both planned and constructed by the owner

” The soil is only a few inches deep, soft chalk lies close to the surface and can be dug out with a spade This is a very suitablebut the labour of digging