Over the past two or three months several new volunteers have joined the regulars at Orchard Barn. And as we all know, many hands make light work. We have also had a number of donations of tools and materials, for which we are always very grateful.
Recently we’ve had exercise and fun in creating lots of daub needed in the construction of our new rest area, a communal shelter for volunteers that will be much appreciated during break times in very cold or inclement weather. Daub is a combination of clay, hoggin (subsoil), straw and water, trodden and rolled into a blended mixture. The clay needed in the daub mix has been harvested from our own ditch, thus improving drainage as well.
Wattle on the roof, consisting of last year’s hazel coppice material, has the daub applied to it and then pantiles are laid on top to provide a watertight and insulated roof as the photo shows.
If you’d like to get muddy then join us when daub is being applied to the walls sometime soon. We are SW of Mill Road, Battisford or visit our website www.orchardbarn.org.uk or phone 01473-658193.