EMESS

This was an open-air practical meeting to carry out repairs to the external walls of a listed mud-and-stud cottage owned by Arthur and Veronica Fox.  Those present were Trevor Oliver (leader), Tony Bonham, Matthew Giles and David Glew (all members of EMESS).   In three different areas of the outside faces of the north and south external walls, the smooth mud finish coats of the walls (the render) had “blown” so the surface of the wall was hollow.  This is a common problem.  These loose areas were scraped off, but collected.  On a hard base, new clay and the old render were trampled together, turned over, then wetted, trampled and turned over again.  Chopped straw was added, and the whole mass was trampled and turned over a final time.  It could be seen that the mud alone was very sticky, but it became less so, and therefore more workable, by adding the straw.  As noted previously, if the straw is not chopped, its long lengths make it impossibl...

This meeting took place on 11 June 2025 at 7pm, again in the foyer of the University of Lincoln's Architecture Department.  It was a small group of Trevor Oliver, Neil Cook, Robin Brittain and your reporter, David Glew.   HERITAGE OPEN DAYS   The national Heritage Open Days in September were discussed, which this year would have the theme of“Architecture”.  For a number of years EMESS had joined this event by putting on a display at the mud-and-stud barn at Tumby Moorside.  This year would have been another good opportunity to meet the public, but it had to be missed through not having enough members, and not enough time to arrange anything.  Buildings of earth would not have been considered as architecture with a capital “A” in the past, but attitudes towards vernacular architecture have now included these types of buildings, even if they are at the bottom of the scale !   ARCHIVES   There had been a discussion at the last meeting...

10am SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 at MUMBY CHURCH, HOGSTHORPE ROAD, MUMBY, LN13 9SD   The next EMESS meeting will take place at the above address this coming Saturday.  Mumby is on the A52 on the way to Chapel St Leonards.  Would you like to come and help us get this venue ready for training in heritage skills ?  It is a redundant church and former community centre and so it already has toilets and a kitchen, plus lots of space.  Come in your old clothes with gloves, kneelers if you need them, brushes, etc, and bring a packed lunch !   Please contact Trevor Oliver by phone : 07801 065291, or by email : millstonerestoration58@gmail.com , or by replying to this blog. 

This took place at 7pm on 21 February 2025, in the foyer of the Architecture Department.  It was prompted by Jenne Pape's talk to the Lincolnshire Family History Society on 19 October the year before, but we couldn't all get together until February this year.  We found the entrance hall of the Architecture Department quite convivial !  Those there were : Trevor Oliver (chair), Neil Cook (treasurer), Marcin Kolakowski (host), Robin Brittain (EBUKI), Jenne Pape and David Glew (your correspondent).   Jenne reported that a colleague, John Hart, is wanting to expand the recorded history of mud-and-stud buildings.  She also said the County Council would like to bring up-to-date their record of mud-and-stud buildings within the county.  The original record is now 25 years old after being published in the book by Rodney Cousins entitled “ Lincolnshire Buildings in the Mud-and-Stud Tradition ” .  Jenne also said she might have time to help sort out Rodney's...

For a period since 2018 the East Midlands Earth Structures Society (EMESS) has been quiet.  There have not been any formal meetings, but there have been informal workshops here and there.  The members have also been working on their own projects throughout the County.  The main one of these for the near future was obtaining planning permission for the construction of glamping pods to be built using a variety of earth-building techniques.  In other words, not just the local mud-and-stud method, but rammed earth, light clay, clay blocks, etc.  Also, they would be new-builds and not just the repair of existing cottages or barns ! Elsewhere, repairs have continued to be carried out on some of the 400 earth buildings in the county, mostly in the area of East Lindsey.  The Withern Cottage at The Village Museum in Skegness has not been neglected, having been lime-washed.  Research work with the University of Lincoln Architecture Department has continued....

Hi everybody, I hope you all had a merry Christmas and New Year. We are starting the new year with a 'hands on' workshop on the weekend of the 24th and  25th of February . Geoff is looking for help with repairing an internal wall at Langton by Partney. The work is all indoors,  we will be mixing mud, applying daub and a finish coat to part of the wall. Anyone wishing to come along please contact me for more details. Regards Trevor