Rediscovering Ancient Building Wisdom in Welburn
A family in Welburn, North Yorkshire, is returning to traditional methods to preserve their historic home, discovering that the solution to modern building problems lies in ancient techniques. Their stone house, constructed from local materials centuries ago, requires urgent attention to reverse damage caused by inappropriate 1980s cement repointing.
The original mortar and plaster would have been similarly local, from kilns next to the ancient quarry that were used as far back as Roman times. This connection to local materials and traditional methods inspired the household to book the entire family onto a lime-pointing workshop in Dewsbury with expert instructor Ian Womersley.
The Science and Art of Lime Mortar
Under Womersley's guidance, the family learned processes that have changed little in four millennia. They discovered that adding water to raw quicklime creates a powerfully exothermic reaction, but left to slake for days or weeks, it matures into a beautifully malleable putty suitable for building work.
Both the hotlime (activated quicklime) and putty make excellent mortars, but are slow to cure, so most people opt for natural hydraulic limes. These come prehydrated and premixed with sand, requiring only additional water to create workable mortar that sets within a couple of days.
Womersley enthusiastically explained the numerous advantages of lime during the workshop: "It's porous, breathable, sustainable and strong; it literally draws damp out of your walls; if it cracks, it self-heals as rain gets in there and reactivates the lime".
From Smeary Mess to Professional Finish
The family spent an hour mixing and pushing various mortars into joints, with initial results appearing amateur and smeary. However, the transformative moment came when they used stiff-bristled churn brushes to bash the drying mortar.
The excess fell away, cracks and wrinkles magically disappeared, and square metres of beautiful pointing were revealed. This simple technique transformed their clumsy efforts into professional-looking restoration work, though the scale of their project - an entire house - remains daunting.
The experience has given the family confidence to tackle their home's restoration using sustainable, traditional methods that honour the building's heritage. As Womersley noted, lime-mortared buildings can be dismantled rather than demolished, with bricks or stone easily cleaned and reused - a testament to the material's enduring value and environmental credentials.
