The beauty of materials
Country Life UK|August 10, 2022
Tim Moulding of traditional builders R. Moulding & Co explains the relationship between good-quality, well-chosen materials and beautiful buildings
The beauty of materials

SINCE 1798, R. Moulding & Co has been employing traditional craftsmanship and materials to create some of Britain's most beautiful houses. For the past six years, the company has been included in COUNTRY LIFE's Top 100 list of Britain's best craftspeople.

Why do materials play such a vital role in a sensitive restoration?

Every successful project is a balancing act between aesthetics, heritage and the demands of 21st-century living. Both new and reclaimed materials have a role to play in any project. It's essential that materials are sympathetic to the original construction of a building, respecting both its period and the vernacular style. A new stone floor, for example, should use a local material, not a cheaper, less appropriate alternative from beyond our shores. Not only does this minimise the carbon footprint, it will also complement the look and feel of building.

However, this isn't only an aesthetic and environmental consideration; in old buildings, the use of correct materials plays an important role in the management of damp.

Where possible, is it always better to use reclaimed materials than new?

When used appropriately, reclaimed materials will create the immediate impression of age and offer the additional benefit of employing something that would otherwise be destined for landfill. However, great care is required; reclaimed materials are expensive and are usually purchased 'as-seen' (although many good reclamation specialists should replace any defective materials). Inevitably, reclaimed materials have a high risk of performance failure, particularly if required to provide a weathering function in an exposed location, notably on a roof. This will also raise the question of who will be liable for the cost of replacing faulty materials. Reclaimed bricks are likely to come from multiple sources, creating additional problems when they are laid.

This story is from the August 10, 2022 edition of Country Life UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 10, 2022 edition of Country Life UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COUNTRY LIFE UKView All
Give it some stick
Country Life UK

Give it some stick

Galloping through the imagination, competitive hobby-horsing is a gymnastic sport on the rise in Britain, discovers Sybilla Hart

time-read
3 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Paper escapes
Country Life UK

Paper escapes

Steven King selects his best travel books of 2024

time-read
3 mins  |
December 25, 2024
For love, not money
Country Life UK

For love, not money

This year may have marked the end of brag-art’, bought merely to show off one’s wealth. It’s time for a return to looking for connoisseurship, beauty and taste

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Mary I: more bruised than bloody
Country Life UK

Mary I: more bruised than bloody

Cast as a sanguinary tyrant, our first Queen Regnant may not deserve her brutal reputation, believes Geoffrey Munn

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
A love supreme
Country Life UK

A love supreme

Art brought together 19th-century Norwich couple Joseph and Emily Stannard, who shared a passion for painting, but their destiny would be dramatically different

time-read
5 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Private views
Country Life UK

Private views

One of the best ways-often the only way-to visit the finest privately owned gardens in the country is by joining an exclusive tour. Non Morris does exactly that

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Shhhhhh...
Country Life UK

Shhhhhh...

THERE is great delight to be had poring over the front pages of COUNTRY LIFE each week, dreaming of what life would be like in a Scottish castle (so reasonably priced, but do bear in mind the midges) or a townhouse in London’s Eaton Square (worth a king’s ransom, but, oh dear, the traffic) or perhaps that cottage in the Cotswolds (if you don’t mind standing next to Hollywood A-listers in the queue at Daylesford). The estate agent’s particulars will give you details of acreage, proximity to schools and railway stations, but never—no, never—an indication of noise levels.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Mission impossible
Country Life UK

Mission impossible

Rubble and ruin were all that remained of the early-19th-century Villa Frere and its gardens, planted by the English diplomat John Hookham Frere, until a group of dedicated volunteers came to its rescue. Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe tells the story

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
When a perfect storm hits
Country Life UK

When a perfect storm hits

Weather, wars, elections and financial uncertainty all conspired against high-end house sales this year, but there were still some spectacular deals

time-read
6 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Give the dog a bone
Country Life UK

Give the dog a bone

Man's best friend still needs to eat like its Lupus forebears, believes Jonathan Self, when it's not guarding food, greeting us or destroying our upholstery, of course

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024