From _Country Life_, April 6th, 1901:
"The white chalk cottages of the scattered straggling village are found
in every sort of position. They must not be confounded with the cottages
of rock chalk at Medmenham. You might almost call them mud cottages.
"The house is generally both planned and constructed by the owner.
". . . The soil is only a few inches deep, soft chalk lies close to the
surface and can be dug out with a spade. This is a very suitable
material in the district and costs nothing but the labour of
digging. . . .
"On the downs there is a constant lack of water; that which falls in the
shape of rain is therefore very precious, and in some cases is indeed
the only kind available. But a large tank or artificial well is needed
to contain it, and the pit from which the chalk is dug out can be made
to serve the purpose. . . . One was made watertight by means of a lining
of concrete, and held enough water to keep the family going through all
the dry season.
"In another house . . . the chalk-pit had been utilised to form a large
and convenient cellar. . . .
"Most of them (the cottages) . . . are on two floors, with parlour,
kitchen, back kitchen and so forth on one, and the bedrooms on the
other. In the preparation of the chalk, the method followed is that of
treading it into a kind of rubble, and adding a proportion of straw and
a small quantity of lime.
[Headnote: Expensive Scaffolding Avoided]
"There is a local builder who will run up the shell of a house for a
matter of L100, more or less, according to its size. . . . Most of the
cottages are literally hand-made. A skilful architect who visited the
Winterslow cottages felt sure that boards must be used to keep the walls
straight, but he was wrong. The chalk is shovelled up and the walls are
kept straight without line or plummet. No expensive scaffolding or
machinery is employed. Yet the walls come out beautifully in the end,
the colour being an exquisite soft white. They are about 18 in. thick,
and the slowness of their construction has one good effect, it gives
them time to dry. No point is of more importance than this. It is
advisable not to put on any rough-cast, plaster, or paper for at least
twelve months, as doing so will prevent the moisture from exuding. One
or two of the little cottages were slightly damp, but the majority were
as dry as tinder. The thickness of the walls helps to render the cottage
more comfortable, to make it cool in summer and dry in winter.
"One word should be added in regard to soft chalk as a building
material. Where it can be obtained in the garden at a few inches depth,
and especially where the cottager is his own architect and builder, it
can be most heartily recommended, but there are obvious objections to
its transportation to districts where it is foreign.
"The village itself is a very homely and irregular one without a single
dwelling of any pretence. The country lying adjacent to Salisbury Plain
consists of broken, sparsely peopled downland, and very ornate or
finished cottages would be out of keeping, but they would not look so
well copied in a very rich, heavily timbered country."