SOUTH EAST Regional Summary
Building Materials
Some excellent building stones, including limestone in Oxfordshire and the carstone of Surrey and Sussex, were available in the north and parts of the south-east of this Region, in contrast to the chalk areas that only provided flint. Chalk block was occasionally used on the Isle of Wight. Cob (chalk earth) was widely used in the western and northern parts of this Region. Witchert, a form of chalk earth walling, is found in Buckinghamshire.
Timber framing was the dominant building technique across much of the South East Region, with most timber-framed agricultural buildings being clad in weatherboarding. In the clay areas brick had often replaced timber framing by the 18th century. Brick, often banded with flint, was widely used in the chalk areas until the later 18th and 19th centuries.
Straw for thatching was widely available and long straw thatching remains a highly distinctive feature in the west of this Region. Elsewhere, plain clay tiles often replaced thatch. Stone slates were quarried from the limestones of Oxfordshire and the Wealden sandstone of Sussex.
For more information about traditional farm buildings in the South East Region visit helm.org.uk, rural development and ahds.ac.uk
Examples of walling materials in the South East Region
| Weatherboarding over timber frame. The typical wall covering for timber-framed agricultural buildings across the Region is horizontal weatherboarding. Rarely, evidence for vertical boarding rebated into the frame can be found. (Thames Basin Heaths) ©Bob Edwards |
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| Earth. Earth was used for walling in some parts of the region, chalk cob being the predominant form in the South East. In Buckinghamshire a particular form of earth walling is called ‘witchert’. In the New Forest clay was widely used and, as with many agricultural buildings and boundary walls, the earth has been left unrendered leaving the ‘lifts’, the construction layers, visible. In some cases earth walling was given some protection with a chalk slurry and only rarely were agricultural buildings rendered, the typical treatment for domestic earth buildings. ©Bob Edwards |
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| Cobbles. Along the South Downs and coastal fringe in West Sussex and East Sussex cobbles, often derived from the beach, were used for the construction of farm buildings. (South Downs) ©Bob Edwards |
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| Brick. Locally made bricks can give a distinctive character to farm buildings as can the use of details such as burnt headers and corbelled brickwork at the eaves. (Thames Basin Heaths) ©Bob Edwards |
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Examples of roofing materials in the South East Region
| Thatch. Straw thatch is an important roofing material across the western part of the Region, particularly in Hampshire and west Berkshire. Long straw thatching is recognised as being the traditional thatching style, typically having a flush ridge and sparred eaves. Water reed was not widely used in the Region. (Hampshire Downs) ©Bob Edwards |
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| Stone capable of being slit into thin sheets for making roofing slates is found in several areas including the Cotswolds (limestone) and in the Weald in the area around Horsham (sandstone). Each has its own character, both in terms of the colour of stone and the size of the slates produced. (Cotswolds) ©Bob Edwards |
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| Clay tiles. Clay for brick and tile making was available in many parts of the Region and was exploited from the medieval period. In the Weald of Kent in particular, the availability of clay combined with predominantly pastoral farming meant that clay tiles largely replaced thatch. (Hampshire Downs) ©Bob Edwards |
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Regional Context Content
South East Local Character Summaries
- 81 Greater Thames Estuary
- 86 South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland
- 88 Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
- 90 Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge
- 91 Yardley-Whittlewood Ridge
- 95 Northamptonshire Uplands
- 107 Cotswolds
- 108 Upper Thames Clay Vales
- 109 Midvale Ridge
- 110 Chilterns
- 112 Inner London
- 113 North Kent Plain
- 114 Thames Basin Lowlands
- 115 Thames Valley
- 116 Berkshire and Marlborough Downs
- 119 North Downs
- 120 Wealden Greensand
- 121 Low Weald
- 122 High Weald
- 123 Romney Marshes
- 124 Pevensey Levels
- 125 South Downs
- 126 South Coast Plain
- 127 Isle Of Wight
- 128 South Hampshire Lowlands
- 129 Thames Basin Heaths
- 130 Hampshire Downs
- 131 New Forest
- 132 Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs
- 133 Blackmoor Vale and Vale of Wardour
- 135 Dorset Heaths
Regional Character Summaries
- South East
- East n/a
- North East n/a
- North West n/a
- Yorkshire and Humber n/a
- East Midlands n/a
- West Midlands n/a
- South West n/a
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