Wychert

Wychert or witchert is a clay like material used in building construction and is peculiar to Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England and the surrounding area. As a result Wychert buildings are found largely in the UK village of Haddenham, Haddenham Methodist Chapel being one of the larger examples.

The method of building a wychert building is similar to that of a Cob building. To maintain the rigid nature of wychert it must not become too dry for risk of crumbling, nor too wet for risk of turning to a slime. Keeping wychert well ventilated and not subject to excess condensation is therefore highly recommended. Any render applied to a wychert wall must therefore be of a breathable material and rendering wychert walls with a lime based render is therefore common practice.

A wychert house is currently being re-constructed at Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.

External links

• The Witchert Buildings of Buckinghamshire, England:Learning Sustainable Construction from our Ancestors(Google cached version accessed 10 March 2006)