Nov
Cob Specialist in Cornwall
If you live in Cornwall, you should be familiar with the regional, formerly-go-to material for construction. Cob is as important to Cornwall as China-clay, pasties and tourism. Yes, we do have a lot of natural stone, particularly granite, and this has been/is used in quantity throughout the peninsula but what about our cob-built heritage? Sadly, many cob walls in Cornwall have now disappeared. Neglect, misunderstanding and/or demolition has seen a slow decline in surviving cob walls. So, what makes Cornwall a prime location to construct with this material?
Clay is in abundance here in Cornwall. This is a typical sample taken from below the top-soil layer by The Cob Specialist in Cornwall.
As a resident cob specialist in Cornwall, I have found that suitable soils for building cob walls in Cornwall, are geologically situated in over 60% of the county. The areas where clayey soils are not so evident are granite outcrops like Bodmin Moor for example.
Nationally, and globally, building with cob is making a resurgence. With a climate crisis focussed on CO2 emissions, natural and sustainable building materials are receiving good press.
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