Headline
Burst water pipe lifts concrete gutter and floods road
These photos show how water from a burst water pipe was powerful enough to lift and break a section of concrete gutter in Garcia Street, Cambridge, East London. Once the East London municipal workers were there to repair the damage to the water pipe, it was clear to see that the actual hole in the water pipe was not that big, but the water spewing out of it had been strong enough to lift and break … Read entire article »
Featured
The little clay hogs of Hogsback
One cannot leave Hogsback, after a stay or daytrip to this magical place in the Eastern Cape, … Read more »
A little clay duck
As far back as I can remember I’ve been semi obsessive with having clean hands. This is all fine and well, but it annoys even me when I have to get my … Read more »
The blocks I didn’t play with as a child
Back in the middle ages when I was a young child, this is before television, and in many parts of the country a non party line phone was a luxury. In fact, … Read more »
Popular
Owning your very own traditional clay oven
When we took over the Clay Brick Trust site I was at a bit of a loss, as I could not imagine that clay, and or bricks and or trust had anything … Read more »
The beauty of dry stone walls
Well, one obvious “beauty” is that, if one has suitable rocks or stones lying around on one’s own property, one can build a dry stone wall for free. A bit of hard … Read more »
The original claybricktrust.co.za website information
The domain claybricktrust.co.za used to belong to a web design client of ours, Neil Sparg, who has a business in Nahoon, East London, supplying blocks, bricks, sand, and stone for building purposes … Read more »
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Quaint stone wall St Patrick on the Hill Church in Hogsback
What beautiful walls this church has, made of stones. Saint Patrick on the Hill, in Hogsback in the Eastern Cape is a must to see, when exploring the quaint little village of Hogsback, even during just a day trip to the place that gave Tolkien inspiration. Yes, of course see the waterfalls, walk in the beautiful forests, purchase a little … Read entire article »
The little clay hogs of Hogsback
One cannot leave Hogsback, after a stay or daytrip to this magical place in the Eastern Cape, without a little clay hog souveneir. Take some of the magic of Hogsback home with you. As one approaches the little village of Hogsback, after the beautiful drive up a winding road, locals are visible on the sides of the road selling their wares … Read entire article »
Dreaming of how my dream home would look one day
Come on, let me dream about my dream home, even if I never get it. Tony and I, and my boys, are staying at my folks at the moment, and it’s okay, it’s fine, but, oh, it’s nice to dream of a mansion, an enormous garden, and excellent security, all in the countryside somewhere, probably in East London, South Africa. I do love my hometown, East London. My dream home would be huge, really huge, and not just many rooms, but spacious rooms, with walking space between items of furniture. A minimal furnishings look, that wouldn’t look minimal in smaller rooms, but at the same time, to avoid looking and feeling too bare or minimal, my … Read entire article »
A little clay duck
As far back as I can remember I’ve been semi obsessive with having clean hands. This is all fine and well, but it annoys even me when I have to get my hands dirty just so that I can wash them. This is what happened when the little clay duck was born. I had been out in the garden, doing a bit of weeding and other long overdue chores. As usual I wondered at the high clay levels in the area, and particularly in my garden. Idly, I grabbed a ball of the offensive clay soil and tossed it into a bucket. Another chunk or two followed. Some water to make a fine sloshy mess, and then … Read entire article »
Straw bale houses
It seems that here in South Africa, by attempting to keep pace with the rest of the world; we are in actual fact getting left behind, particularly in housing. Our traditional ethnic mud huts have many properties that modern glass and brick homes do not have. Air conditioning is a priority nowadays. High power bills are mandatory, due to the air con and under floor heating. There is a growing ‘green’ tendency internationally, as regards home building. Cob houses and straw bale houses are both sound alternatives for economically viable ecologically friendly domestic habitation. If you’re considering a new home, take some time out to investigate a straw bale house. Watch the video, and you … Read entire article »
Living a natural life
With our rapidly dwindling natural resources it makes sense to use our resources as wisely as possible. Building a cob house in which to live is one good place to start. I know that I wouldn’t mind building and living in a cob house. Although I make a living with modern technology, I am pretty much a traditionalist. Back in Bloem I enjoyed a rural life-style, and that is still my first choice, although not possible at the moment. Enjoying a cob house is not restricted to living out in the country though, as there is a magnificent brand new cob house in Muizenberg. In Grahamstown, a cob house is nearing completion. Cob is a widely recognized natural … Read entire article »
The blocks I didn’t play with as a child
Back in the middle ages when I was a young child, this is before television, and in many parts of the country a non party line phone was a luxury. In fact, there were still towns that had no electricity! I don’t remember much of being a toddler, probably some kind of mind block, but I do have memories of going around to Gerard’s, to look at, LOOK at, his new wooden blocks. I could have been about five, and we had strict instructions from mom that under no circumstances were we to play with any other child’s toys. So, while I sat and watched, Gerard proudly lay his brand new wooden box on the floor between … Read entire article »
