72 THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2024 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS MASONRY PLASTERWORK Clay plaster is the simplest and earliest form of plaster and is typically made from clay, sand and dung, with chopped straw or another locally available fibrous material used for reinforcement. Whilst its popularity faded from use due to the availability of more durable and easily maintained materials, clay plasters can sometimes be found as the backing material in more contemporary plasterwork. LOOKING AHEAD Today, projects such as the Scottish Crannog Centre’s new village are showcasing the efficacy of historic materials and architectural methods. Serving as a showcase of various designs interpreting historic evidence, the village will let visitors interact with buildings made from materials sourced within the region. Not all vernacular buildings today are built within a historical context. Across the country, people are finding innovative ways to repurpose natural materials that have long been replaced by modern innovations. Building with earth continues to be popular, with rammed earth walls and ‘earth bagging’ becoming more common. Turf roofs can be seen across the country and straw bale buildings have risen in popularity over the past few decades, proving to be extremely cost and energy efficient. While these are often exemplar projects and the exception, they serve to demonstrate how vernacular materials can play their part in Scotland’s Just Transition, the strategy to journey towards net zero. ROSS CAMERON is Vernacular Buildings Craft Fellow at Historic Environment Scotland, and JEN FARQUHARSON is one of the organisation’s Lead Technical Content Officers. Parts of this article were written using HES technical advice and guidance. To learn more about vernacular buildings and materials or to sign up for one of our learning sessions, visit www.engineshed.scot. Corrugated iron became common in the mid-19th century, and is now a traditional roofing material in many rural areas and part of the local vernacular, as here at Carrbridge in the Cairngorms National Park. (Photo: Historic Environment Scotland) MASONRY SERVICES & SCULPTURE PAGE BRICK CAST STONE COB & ✔RTH CONCRETE REPAIRS DRY STONE WALLING EXTERIOR MOULDING FLINT WORK GEOLOGICAL ADVICE LETTER CARVING POINTING SCULPTURE & STATUARY STONEMASONRY STUCCO & RENDER TERRACOTTA Accurate Brickwork Solutions Ltd 74 ✔ ✔ Aldis & May Ltd 74 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Andrew Churchman Ltd 74 ✔ Bakers of Danbury Ltd 74 ✔ ✔✔✔✔ ✔✔✔✔✔✔ Between Time Ltd 49 ✔ ✔ ✔ Bullen Conservation Ltd 74 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Busby’s Builders 50 ✔ ✔ C & D Restoration Ltd 75 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Chichester Stoneworks Ltd 50 ✔ Collins & Curtis Masonry Ltd 74 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Conservation Building Services Ltd 52 ✔ ✔ Cotswold Hill & Stone 75 ✔ D B R Conservation 84 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ D B R London 74 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ D B R Southern 76 ✔ ✔✔✔✔ ✔✔✔✔✔✔ D Dunne Ltd 74 ✔ Dædalus Conservation 54 ✔ ✔ ✔ Darwen Terracotta Limited 84 ✔ Ernest Barnes Ltd 87 ✔ ✔ ✔ F E Stacey & Co 123 ✔ ✔ Four Walls Building Company Limited 87 ✔ ✔ Gaches Plasterwork 150 ✔ Geometric Stone Ltd 76 ✔ ✔ ✔ H & W Sellors Ltd 76 ✔ Hall Construction Limited 53 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Heritage Stone Access Limited 45 ✔ Heritage Testing Ltd 35 ✔ Herridge Decorators Ltd 144 ✔ Hirst Conservation Ltd 84 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ J S Stonemasonry Ltd 76 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Kent Conservation and Restoration Ltd 76 ✔ ✔ L Ashcroft Brickwork Ltd 76 ✔ ✔ ✔ Lambs Sussex Sandstone 77 ✔ London Architectural Mouldings 87 ✔ London Lime Plasterers 150 ✔ ✔
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