Muddy walls in townhouse

[jess marley]

We moved in to our house, (v.Cornish, slate-hung,c.1750) about two months ago, and in peeling away woodchip and vinyl wallpapers have found the walls to the first floor to consist of a layer of white plaster over mud. This I have assumed to be the norm (cob and lime plaster finish)above the stone built ground floor. BUT, chipping away the cement render in one of the sitting rooms downstairs, (mmmm, cosy) I have found that the stone wall is covered by a thick layer of mud which matches the body of the walls upstairs. This surprises me a little because the is no plaster finish on the surface, and the room itself is a very classic townhouse Georgian interior.
Any guesses as to if it's likely that the walls in a house which when built would have presented itself as so completely up-market would have been left as compacted mud, with no finish?
Does anyone have any experiences of houses which externally seem rather grand, but inside, seem to have been left pretty much as the rather more basic agricultural building that pre-dated it?

 

[Craig]

many of the grand Georgian houses in the close in Salisbury are actually medieval hall houses made of snot and stiks, with a nice shiny "new" facade.

 

[jess marley]

Snot?????

 

[Nemesis]

Yes it does sound like one of Baldrick's cunning plans...

But possibly true (well at least the part about an older house in a gentrified new shell).

 

[thiambal]

Seems to be something to do with LEGO

http://www.brickwiki.org/index.php/SNOT_techniques

Did not know they had lego back in dem old days! :wink:

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

Any guesses as to if it's likely that the walls in a house which when built would have presented itself as so completely up-market would have been left as compacted mud, with no finish?

The posh front on an old structure is common. But I wonder if the interior of your room could have been finished with a wood panelling to 'modernise' and insulate it. Look out for fixing holes etc.

The mud is probably daub, a perfectly acceptable wall surface, but as you say not in keeping with its illusions of grandure.

Sue

 

[jess marley]

Thanks for that, other things lead me to think that you're right and it may have been panelled, at least below dado level...but then, maybe I should be getting out more.

 

[NT]

AIUI mud plaster can be finished to just as high a standard as lime. And of course its less work/cost preparing it. Once painted it would look the same as any other plaster. So why not?

Over the centuries its fine finish will have deteriorated somewhat.


NT