Aug 17 2005
Green Building Press is reporting on a traditional Celtic roundhouse being built in mid Wales as an experiment in sustainable living.
A group of 12 volunteers will spend almost two weeks constructing the dwelling on land owned by the Primrose Earth Awareness Trust near Brecon. The trust, an environmental education charity, works to raise awareness of sustainable living practices. The house will have a wooden frame and will be covered in the traditional hand-mixed wattle and daub. Project manager Carol Levick said the wood would come from off-cuts of oak from a local sawmill and willow, cut on site, would then be woven around it.
"The volunteers will be mixing mud, straw, lime, and cow manure by trampling it together, and daubing the willow with the mixture by hand".
The trust says its aim is "to encourage a respect for the earth and an appreciation of the interdependence of people, plants and the environment". It was set up in January 2000 on land that was previously part of Primrose Farm in the village of Felindre in Powys. Much of the charity's work involves young people, school groups visit the site and trust staff go out to local schools. The trust also runs courses on sustainable gardening and food production. The two weeks of work on the roundhouse will see the site transformed from just an empty field to a building ready for thatching.
While construction work is taking place, the trust will be open to visitors who can watch the volunteers and learn something about ancient Celtic skills. Some of those taking part in the project have come from many different parts of the world as well as a number of local volunteers.