Glencoe Turf House

from Lochaber Life #336 October 2021

Recipe

Glencoe Turf house taking shape

Iain Ferguson The past is quite literally coming to life at the National Trust for Scotland Glencoe Visitor Centre as a replica 17th-century turf house ‘grows’ out of its surroundings.

Modelled on ruins sited further down the Glen, precise measurements were taken and a detailed study made to ensure the authenticity of the ‘new’ build, right down to ensuring that it sits in the same alignment as homes of that period.

Work started in the spring, with archaeologists, crafts people in traditional building techniques and volunteers coming together to make up for time lost to Covid.

Stage one was to prepare the ground and raise the sturdy timber cruck (‘A’ shaped) frame, which was completed entirely by hand, and which required people power, a hand winch and a gin pole. An exceptional level of craftsmanship by the joiner saw hundreds of complicated joints held in place with 3,500 hand-whittled wooden pegs.

Once this structure was solid, a stone base wall was laid and the green woodworker started on the continuous weave of the wattle walls, using 3,000 locally harvested, flexible hazel wands passed in and out of upright posts every 40cm. They provided the ‘creel’ basket-like interior framework.

Turf builders began cutting and laying chunky blocks to construct the 80cm thick exterior walls laid in an intricate herringbone pattern to offer maximum strength and stability. All of of this material came from an area just yards from the doorstep

Mud masons mixed up a fabulous concoction of Glencoe cow manure, straw and clay to create the ‘daub’ which they applied to an internal partition wall which divides the building between a living room for the humans and a byre for livestock. A stone floor was also pieced together like a giant mosaic of irregularly formed shapes.

With the walls complete the carpenter began work on the 185 timber roof cabers which required the turf walls to be built up to and constructed around them – a complicated team effort. Thin layers of turf divot were then laid as a base for the long wiry heather thatch.

Hopefully open to the public next spring, the project has also been an opportunity to experiment with fast-vanishing traditional building craft skills that would once have been widespread in communities across the West Highlands and Islands.

Delivering All Aspects Of Civil Engineering.

New Build & Extension Groundworks Sewers & Septic Tanks Concrete & Steel Work Kerbing & Paving Works Bell Mouths & Access Roads Tar Surfaced Driveways & Car Parks Cable & Water Pipe Tracks Retaining Walls Excavation Works Excavators For Hire With Operator