{"id":18941,"date":"2018-05-08T16:11:48","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T15:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=18941"},"modified":"2018-05-07T18:18:14","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T17:18:14","slug":"ihbc-cpd-boost-in-context-the-pattern-of-building-in-manx-vernacular-was-shaped-by-local-materials-writes-patricia-tutt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=18941","title":{"rendered":"IHBC CPD boost in Context: The \u2018pattern of building\u2019 in Manx vernacular was shaped by local\u00a0 materials, writes Patricia Tutt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"stone<\/a>Patricia Tutt\u2019s recent Context<\/em> article, \u2018A pattern of building\u2019, explores how the natural occurring building materials of the Isle of Man \u2013 an abundance of stone and the paucity of timber \u2013 shaped the development of a vernacular architecture and the rise of more sophisticated building skills.<\/h3>\n
image Battery, Peel Castle – P Tutt<\/em><\/h6>\n

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Patricia Tutt writes :<\/p>\n

\u2018For such a small island (45km x 16km), the Isle of Man has a complex and fascinating geology. The predominant stone used for building was the Manx \u2018slate\u2019, a mudstone which was difficult to work for general walling and difficult to cleave for roofing purposes. This led to a common use of mass rubble walling, often un-coursed and, of necessity, of considerable depth to accommodate large stones in a way that enable two vertical faces to be achieved. In the Isle of Man, the old builders\u2019 rule of thumb was two foot (600mm), but wall thickness can vary from 450mm to in excess of 600mm, depending on local variations in the stone. When barns were built alongside farmhouses, longhouse style, they were invariably abutments and not bedded in\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

She concludes that: \u2018The overall impression of the Manx rural built environment today is of isolated whitewashed squat two-storey, stone-built farmhouses with heavy stacks on both gables, alongside un-rendered mudstone farm buildings. In the towns, Victorian terraces predominate, mostly rendered, but there are a small number in imported polychrome brickwork. Many were built as hotels and boarding houses. Twentieth-century housing estates are mostly of characterless bungalows or houses on free-form layouts that pay no attention to aspect or orientation, a pattern from anywheresville that continues today, when most building materials are imported, all bearing a significant surcharge covering shipping costs.\u2019<\/p>\n

Reading Context<\/em> helps IHBC members develop their skills across all of the IHBC\u2019s Areas of Competence, and as such offers a critical baseline in Continuing Professional Development (CPD).<\/p>\n

To access Context<\/em>:<\/p>\n