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The frame required infill—walls that would keep out weather while adding minimal weight to structure. Wattle and daub provided solution that was cheap, effective, and used readily available materials.
The wattle was woven panels—hazel or willow withies (flexible branches) woven between upright staves to create basket-like walls. The weaving was skilled work, the withies bent and woven to create dense, sturdy panels that would support the daub without sagging or breaking. The pattern was usually simple—over-under weaving that anyone could learn but that required attention and rhythm to execute well.
The wattle panels were fixed within the timber frame, attached to beams above and below, creating surface ready for daubing. Some builders left gaps between panels for ventilation or light, or incorporated windows and doors at this stage, the openings framed in timber before wattle was attached.
The daub was mixture of clay, sand, dung, and straw or other fiber—materials combined to create substance that could be packed onto wattle, would dry hard, would resist weather while remaining somewhat flexible. The exact recipe varied by region depending on available materials, but principles were constant: clay provided binding matrix, sand prevented excessive cracking, dung and fiber reinforced the structure.
The daubing was messy, labor-intensive work. The mixture was pressed onto wattle from both sides, pushed through the gaps to ensure good bond, built up in layers to create thick wall. The workers’ hands became tools, fingers pressing and shaping, palms smoothing surfaces. The work required persistence and patience—each section had to be completed properly before moving to next, the entire surface covered before daub dried enough to prevent good adhesion of later additions.
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