Hi Don,

I personally would not recommend making any intrusive inspections of historic timbers that would require altering the patina of age or remove coatings that have built up over the years.

I think that 4 - 4 feet of thatch would prove to be a good heat insulator and they do say that this type of house is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Regards

Ken Hume

Don,
knowing the species of a timber is like knowing who painted a piece of modern art, or what particular model of sports car someone is driving. If you have been interested in the art for many years, you will know right away who the artist is.
I had the good fortune to be raised with a father who took me on a lot of trips to the forest to gather firewood and materials for our farm, and for some reason I took an interest from the beginning, so I can nearly always ID a timber, or at least put it into a group like oak/ash or poplar/basswood.
Probably cutting firewood has given me the most information about identifying wood, and in later years learning to run the sawmill has put a lot of timber past my eyes.

Hi Mark:

The woods are a great teacher, and a great comfort, too, I guess. I burn wood at home here each year and have scoured the forest w/ a saw myself. Besides the standard firewood species here, such as oak, maple, ash and beech, decades of woodworking have also introduced me to non-native species like mahogany, rosewood, and other exotics. Birds-eye maple or cherry from Appalachia falls somewhere in between.

Doing finish carpentry and woodworking in Maine, I have seen more pine than just about anything. But looking at old barns the past few years has found me scratching my head most times.

The old timbers most always take on a russet brown patina. And old growth timber has few knots and a slightly different appearance b/c of a tighter grain structure, it seems.

W/ the abundance of pine here in "The Pine Tree State" I would gather many barns are pine frames. But the color of time finds me often doing a double-take. My eyes are used to seeing fresh wood. This old stuff is kind of tricky to pinpoint--at least for me.

Kind of why I like this stuff, I guess. A old barn is most always a good detective story.

The grain and especially the knots will be there to see, even if there is a coat of paint.

Hi,

I just got a note from Sarah at www.orchardbarn.org.uk

Her suffolk barn is made from elm and even has elm pegs.

Does anyone have experience of making / using elm pegs ?

Regards

Ken Hume

I occaisionally use up my hardwood sraps, and saw them into octagonal pegs. I have sawn elm as part of the process, they work ok, but are not as stable as the ash, oak, cherry that makes up the majority of my scrap. The elm tends to warp a bit, which is really not an issue with pegs, as the hole will keep them straight.
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Hi,

I spent last week in Barbados inspecting the last sugar cane crushing windmill in the world which unfortunately was damaged by a lightning strike several months ago.

Whilst in this very hot tropical paradise I noted with some interest the original form of houses in which slaves and then more lately sugar plantation workers lived. These are simple two room timber houses made with a plan area of about 12ft x 10ft cut to suit the length of available imported timber in order to help minimise cut wastage. These little houses are called chattel houses because they are moveable. The occupants owned the building but not the land upon which it stood so they were free to dismantle and move their house away to a new location say as per upon the land of a new employer.



These houses stand on simple coral stone blocks located at the corners and mid span of the sill with the gap between being infilled with course coral rubble stone. The gaps in this stonework are quite deliberate to allow for ventillation of the floor underside.



As general wealth levels rose then so did the aspirations of the occupants and these little houses were then expanded to include pentice roofed extension to the rear and even an outside balcony where the oppressive heat inside the houses could be escaped.



But today the occupants of these little houses now have security of tenure over the land upon which they stand and so a new wave of building in block and metal roof is in full swing. The value of these chattel plots has risen dramatically as tourists seek to buy and build holiday homes in Barbados. Those fortunate enough to own a beach front chattel can and do ask millions for their modest homes whereupon the chattel is demolished and lost from the building stock. Further inland the chattels are being demolished to make way for new middle class affluent houses that can bare little relationship with their humble neighbours.



It's just possible that this wholesale clearance and replacement of this type of vernacular building stock might go some way to explaining how and why virtually every pre 1200's house in England has disappeared.

We are quite familiar with the phrase "goods and chattels" but rarely do we gain an insight into what exactly is meant by a chattel and according to the dictionary this is a simple moveable possesion. I also learned a new word which is "jalousies" which is used to describe the louvered shutters that were typically fitted to the chattels and I believe that this word might also still be in use today in the southern USA.

The people of Barbados need to take care that they do not loose their built heritage and some thought needs to be given to help preserve these old buildings but at the same time recognising and affording the occupants the opportunity to build and live in more comfortable surroundings.

Quite a challenge. Time for a siesta !

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken,

Thanks for the insight -- any photos of the mill?

I have heard the term jalousie in normal usage around here, but it's usage is rare, perhaps because jalousie windows are rare.

Hi Ken,

Like Gabel, I'd enjoy seeing some pics of that mill as well.

"Goods and chattels" is a phrase I've never heard before. Also interesting to note that corrugated steel roofing looks like the dominant material. Must be very loud in those small spaces when they get a good Caribbean storm.

Are they stick-built or timber framed? You say imported wood; what is the species? And what is the average date of one of these chattels?

They all appear to have the main entry on the eaves side and are quite colorful, too. One building in the second pic has gable entry, but it looks like a very modern door and bigger than the 10 x 12 dimension you listed.

Hi Gabel & Don,

I took plenty of photos of the mill but unfortunately release of these is currently embargoed due to the damage incurred to the mill. This mill is featured on the back of every 25c coin in Barbados and so it is of some importance to the islanders with the owners being somewhat sensitive about the repair process.

All of the chattel houses shown have side wall (eaves) entry and the gable entry in the second picture is of a more modern building. I have no knowledge about internal construction details or about the timber employed however the mill employs greenheart timber from Guyana.

Regards

Ken Hume