Context 153 - March 2018

C O N T E X T 1 5 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 8 27 lifts. The excision of the sods impoverished the soil for some considerable distance around the new structure, reducing its capacity to nurture the occupants and livestock. Surfaces of these walls were smoothed with a wash of wet clay and dung. The traditional thatched roof was lashed in place by ropes tied down to projecting stones or other materials (bricks, metal spikes, animal bones) set into the wall below the eaves and on the gable – a distinctive Manx detail.There was rarely a wall-plate. Slate hanging is a comparatively rare sight in the Isle of Man today, with Bridge House in Castletown being the best-known example, and possibly one of the earliest. Its use dates from the importation of slate in the 19th century. It was an accepted Manx solution to the problem of waterproofing exposed gables in soft stone and brick. Archive photographs show it in common use in Castletown and Ramsey, but many examples have been lost. Sand continues to be extracted in the west at Peel and gravel from the north. Historically, they were taken from the shore wherever they occurred in usable quantities, with deleterious consequences for render, plaster and mortar, and for land stability along the shore. Alongside the export of lead and other minerals from the Manx mines, mainly in the 19th century, ships returned carrying brick, terracotta and other materials from Ruabon and elsewhere in NorthWales.These were widely used as quoins and dressings to form a smooth surface against which to set window and door frames in buildings in Manx stone, as noted by Lamplugh (1903). He also described bricks being produced in several locations and disused brickworks in areas where there is no stone. Following the early destruction of native woodland and prior to the planting of managed woodland, most struc- tural timber was imported or recycled.Dendrochronology has so far been unsuccessful, due to uncertainty as to the origin of the timber and the absence of sufficient Manx specimens of oak and other suitable species on which to establish a viable database. 6 There are many archive references to the use of large sections of timber salvaged from the Curragh. All describe what seems to have been a catastrophic windblast,with all the trees lying in the same north-west direction, not unlike the severe damage caused to several of the island’s plantations in 2008. These highly-prized timbers in the peat and bog were mostly oak, blackened from their impregnation and smooth grained, but fir, birch, hazel and other species were found. Timber was recycled, whether salvaged from a ship- wreck or an abandoned house. During refurbishment of houses and cottages, it is common to come across roof timbers and other timber components that show evidence of having been previously used elsewhere. The overall impression of theManx rural built environ- ment 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. References Lamplugh (1903) The Geology of the Isle of Man (Memoirs of the Geological Survey, United Kingdom), London,Wyman and Sons Maxwell, Ingval (1996) Building Materials of the Scottish Farmstead , Edinburgh, SVBWG Pickett (2002) Isle of Man: foundations of a landscape, British Geological Survey Robinson,Vaughan and Danny McCarroll, eds (1990) The Isle of Man: celebrating a sense of place, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press Chiverell andThomas (2006) A New History of the Isle of Man , Volume 1: The Evolution of the Natural Landscape, Liverpool, University of Liverpool Press Barn, Ballamaddrell, Malew. Note the different phases of construction: the ground floor is mainly built using granite with substantial quoins, interspersed with mudstone; the first floor is mainly in limestone; the pigeon holes are in red brick; and above that the roof-bearing courses are in mudstone. Lintols are mudstone. This type of pigeon hole formed in brick along the main long elevation became the norm on the Manx improved farm. (Photo by the author) Footnote 6 Personal discussions with Stephen Moore, former conservation officer, and archaeologist Peter Davey, former director of the Centre of Manx Studies Patricia Tutt is an architect, lecturer and photographer, and she prepares conservation and registered building reports for the Isle of Man Government. She has written a PhD on the vernacular architecture of the island and a substantial book on the island’s architecture.