This is a clom cottage built in 1750 in the
Aeron Valley, Wales. Clom (like cob) is a mixture of clay and
fibre, in this case marsh grass. Horse hair and lamb’s wool
were often mixed in too. The horse hair gives the walls of the
cottage an unshaven appearance. The roof is thatched in wheat
straw with a base coat of gorse and turf. The cottage has a
crogloft (below right), a traditional sleeping platform. These
were once common in West Wales, as were daubed wickerwork
chimneys like the one below (left). |