FLINT-BUILDING TECHNIQUES
Bungaroosh/bungaroush: The spelling of this word varies, but it refers to a technique where a random mix of flint pieces, broken bricks, shingle and lime mortar are put together in the same wall. It was widely used in houses in Brighton and Hove in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Knapped flint: This is when rounded or oval flints are split into two or more pieces and shaped into cubes, so they can be laid in neat, horizontal rows. This skilled technique was first seen during the 12th century, but it was more widely used in the 14th-16th centuries with the introduction of more sophisticated building techniques. The more refined appearance and the specialised technique of knapping flint meant that it was expensive, so it was incorporated in grand buildings, such as churches and cathedrals.
Snapped flint: This term is used for flints which have been broken in half to expose the inner colour and natural shine of the stone. They are usually circular or oval in shape. The overall look of a snapped flint wall is rougher than one constructed with knapped flint.
Flushed flint: Flushed flint, or flushwork, was used for important buildings, and it refers to the method of cutting holes into prepared stone, then infilling them with flint bedded in mortar. It is a technique common in East Anglia. A skilled example can be found at St Nicholas Chapel in Gipping, Suffolk, built in the middle of the 15th century, and also at the Holy Trinity parish church in Long Melford, Suffolk. The trend for flushwork continued to the mid 16th century.
Cobbled flint: Uncut stones are embedded in lime mortar, resembling raisins in a fruit cake mixture. Houses with this style of wall are often found in coastal areas or close to rivers, where the flints have been naturally smoothed over time by a process of attrition in the water. These flint cobbles might be arranged in a random pattern, with large nuggets alongside small ones, or ordered into carefully sized courses running horizontally in a wall. Alternatively, they can be tightly packed, with very little room between the stones.
Galleting: Small slivers or chips of flint are inserted into the mortar jointing the main stones to create a decorative effect. The technique is generally associated with East Sussex and examples can be found at West Dean College near Chichester, and the Guildhall in Norwich.