This book by Eurwyn William
'..is about the homes of the rural poor in wales during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and in particular the materials and techniques used to build them.' (p8)
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| Nantwallter Cottage at St Fagan's Museum. A 'clom' house made with walls of earth, dated from the 1770s. |
Much of the evidence used in the book is that of the buildings themselves, based on surveys undertaken in the 1970's. The introduction looks at other sources of evidence such as writings by contemporary commentators, other books and research, drawings, paintings and photographs.
Chapter 2 is concerned with the history of settlement patterns in Wales with an overview of where people lived, (mainly in the lowlands but higher up than now, in periods of climatic warmth), types of tenure, including inheritance traditions and the rise of estates, enclosures and squatters concluding with the relationship of the rural populations to that of the new industrial settlements.
Chapter 3 provides an introduction to vernacular architecture and the history of gentry and farm house designs. Then the term cottage is defined followed by a lengthy discussion of the 'ty unnos' or 'one night house'. This is followed by an account of the plan type and the gradual introduction in the C19th of larger buildings making use of the new readily available materials of brick, slate and sawn imported timber.
Chapter 4 is about walls and the types of materials used including stone, mortar, earth and turf, timber, bricks, doors and windows.
Chapter 5 is about roofs with an extensive introduction to thatch including the historical distribution of different thatch styles. This is followed by a look at underthatch techniques including heather, straw rope and gorse. Other materials such as stone and later quarried slates are discussed as are chimneys which were often made of wicker.
Chapter 6 is about interiors, namely the floors and fireplaces etc.
Chapter 7 looks at the builders themselves and the life styles of the cottage dwellers.
The final chapter starts by discussing why these humble cottages have failed to attract listed status and why so few survive. It challenges the assumption that because these buildings were made from inferior materials that they were badly made which is why they have all but disappeared. The author instead favours the argument that these buildings have suffered from the vagaries of fashion in that the cottagers wanted more space and better facilities such as water and sanitation, in the same way that present day farmers are abandoning older farmhouses to build new bungalows.
Then the discussion changes to look what has happened to the buildings
'What pleasanter sight is there than a bright green or heather-blue hillside dotted with little white cottages, sparkling in the sun? Alas, too many of them now have breeze-block extensions, flat-roofed garages and picture windows, making them appear no longer comfortable and natural but brash and in conflict with their environment.' p255
And then to look at how the more primitive building techniques of the past can provide valuable lessons for the future.
'Today we reuse little, and dispose of much. This is in total contrast with the past....Few cottages required the use of fossil fuels to manufacture their components; hardly any required transport of materials over longg distances or by any means other than by human or animal labour....Nothing was utilised that might cause pollution; no toxic exterior paints, no plastics, no asbestos.' p257
'Sustainable living in rural ares today can only happen on a demonstrable scale, perhaps, when it again becomes fashionable to think that less is more, and that happiness is not bought by the possession of worldly goods.' p258
William recognises that these modern middle class concerns of low impact sustainable living are in effect being lived out by the present poorest of the worlds population who are still dependant on nature and live in ephemeral homes that are built and maintained through communal effort. However he maintains that climate change will force a return to more low impact and communal living, and says these approaches and traditions may return.
