The geological and geotechnical properties of earth material from central Devon in relation to its suitability for building in ‘cob’: R. Harries, B. Saxton & K. Coventry, Proceedings — Ussher Society, 8(4), 1995, pp 441–444.

Abstract

Earth mixed with straw and water to produce 'Cob' (Skinner et al., 1992) was the traditional method of building in much of rural Devon during the seventeenth and eighteenth Centuries. As a consequence, many villages, hamlets and farms are constructed almost exclusively of cob; and it is this more than any other feature which imprints on them a unique and distinctive regional character. With industrialization and the coming of the railways, new materials and building methods were introduced. As a consequence, traditional methods and skills were no longer practised and a working knowledge of the material was gradually lost. The realization in the past decade that these buildings form an important part of our national heritage has led to the implementation of a research programme at the University of Plymouth. This research programme aims to develop through geological and geotechnical investigations a coherent set of guidelines and 'best-practice' techniques for building in earth, and to develop a methodology and guidelines for setting up an inventory of earth buildings. The multidisciplinary research programme is coordinated by the Centre for Earthen Architecture, within the School of Architecture.