This is a variation on the cob theme. The name comes from a variation of ‘white earth’.

The local soils are heavy in crushed limestone and are ideal for compaction into cob walls. These walls are a mixture of the soils with stones and some straw for binding. As with Devon cob, for example, it should be kept off the ground on a stone plinth wall and protected from excessive weathering using a lime render. This also allows for breathability. In the pictures seen here, the wall has a cement render and it is now damaged.

The cement render needs to be removed, repairs done to the wall where required and then it can be re-rendered using lime. No cements at all should be used. This is another example of how modern interventions using cement are causing considerable harm to historic construction.