History of Cavity Walls

[robgraham]

I believe that cavity walls go quite a long way back, but I was intrigued by one I found the other day. I was walking near Knock Hill in Fife and took a look at a ruined farm.

The walls of the old stone buildings were all standing, but a little further on there was the remains of a brick built two story house with only a gable end still standing. The cavity in the walls was some 10 inches wide - wide enough to take the chimney flues - and the ties between the leaves were 18 inch long bricks. Anyone any ideas what sort of period this might have been ?

Rob

[Gill Smith]

sounds like early September/early August

am I right?

--

[Andrew Mawson]

There is an ancient book - or actually collection of books - but I forget the name but it's by Vetruvius - detailing building recommendations for Roman soldiers while conquering an empire, and it describes a dual skin wall for use in wet climates. So that's about

2000 years old for cavity walls. We lost quite a bit of good practise when they left these shores in about ad 400, that wasn't re-introduced until Victorian times. Running water in toilets, and underfloor central heating are other examples.

AWEM

[Jules Richardson]

Are you sure it was simply a house? Just wondering if it were actually some other structure in which case there might be a reason other than insulation (e.g. some buildings storing explosives have two walls set qute far apart, ditto with anything that might be attacked - the theory being that the cavity absorbs the blast, either protecting those inside or those outside according to purpose)

cheers

Jules

[Tabby]

I don't know. I don't expect that was ever standard practice. Perhaps it was for a special purpose, but not for general building work.

Cavity walls becoming widespread specifically for their insulation benefits is a 1930s thing. They were often used in the 1800s to control damp, ie mostly in coastal areas. They were also sometimes used as a budget measure, eg rattrap bond walls, aka chinese bond.

NT

[Mathew Newton]

Yes, but apart from that what else did the Romans ever do for us? ;-)

(Someone had to say it; might as well be me!)

Mathew

[robgraham]

Hi Jules - two fire places were still visible on the gable end and there were stone window lintels and cills around. Plus there was the remains of a decorative pond nearby. So evidence clearly points to a house.

It's interesting that the Romans had it sussed out all that long ago for damp climates.

I think the thing that caught my eye was the width of the cavity and the special tie bricks that were used.

Someone made the point that old stone cottages with their 3 ft thick walls are effectively cavity wall - yes that is mine ! Excellent until you want to put a hole through the wall and all the little stones fall into it.

Rob