Jonathan Glancey might like to know that construction using mud and earth (“Building with mud, glorious mud”, February 6) is alive and well in north-east Yorkshire. I am currently restoring buildings of rubble stone bound with mud. These date from the late 17th century, so have stood the test of time.

Mud was a widely used building material in this country, often with lime render or wash and not just in timber frame construction with wattle and daub. It went out of fashion in early Victorian times, when industrially processed materials were considered the future — and which also made money for those who produced them.

Mud has exceptional sustainable qualities such as breathability, flexibility and good thermal performance. It is cheap and readily available — it can be dug out of the land adjacent to the site — and safe to use. Mud-plastered walls look great, and there is no reason why it should not be used more in new-build as a sustainable material.

Research at York University’s archaeology department is discovering the extent of mud construction in all types of town and country buildings, while the Institute of Historic Building Conservation is holding a two-day symposium with demonstrations of mud building at Malton, North Yorkshire, on March 19-20 (http://www.ihbc.org.uk/events.htm).

Margaret Mackinder - Slingsby, York

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Letters to the Editor - February 13 2009