Bungaroosh
Encyclopedia
Bungaroosh is a composite building material
used almost exclusively in the English seaside resort
of Brighton
between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries, when it grew from a fishing village into a large town. Bungaroosh is often found in buildings of that era in the town and in its near neighbours Worthing and Lewes
, but is little known elsewhere. In this respect, it is similar to mathematical tile
s—another localised building material introduced in, and characteristic of, that era. It can incorporate any of a wide variety of substances and materials, and is used most often in external walls.
The manufacture of bungaroosh involved placing miscellaneous materials, such as whole or broken bricks, cobblestones, flint
s (commonly found on the South Downs
around Brighton), small pebbles, sand and pieces of wood, into hydraulic lime
and shuttering
it until it set. The shuttering (formwork) process typically involved erecting a wooden frame (often made out of railway sleepers
after they became readily available in the 19th century), pouring in the lime and adding solid materials to the mixture. Other structural fittings, such as brick piers
or wooden lintel
s, could then be added if more support was needed or other structures were to be added. This was particularly common in Brighton, where bungaroosh walls were often built behind the impressive stucco
ed façades of Regency-style houses
. (The material is particularly prevalent in the early 19th-century squares, crescents and terraces of Brighton's seafront, such as Regency Square
, Royal Crescent
and the Kemp Town
estate.) Another technique was to wait for the mixture to set, then render it with a lime-based mixture and paint it. This produced a consistent, regular surface which could be used to build the symmetrical façades required in Georgian architecture
—a popular style in Lewes.
Although the material is solid once set, it has poor resistance to water. If it dries out completely, it can crumble away; but if it gets wet it can dissolve and start to move, causing structural failure. Regular drying-out and saturation caused by the effects of the weather has caused some bay-window fronts
to collapse in Brighton. A common maxim states that much of Brighton "could be demolished with a well-aimed hose"; the supposed extent of this destruction varies between "a third" and "half" depending on the source.
The etymology
of the word is unknown, but the first part may derive from the colloquial
verb "to bung", meaning to put something somewhere hastily or carelessly.
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
used almost exclusively in the English seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries, when it grew from a fishing village into a large town. Bungaroosh is often found in buildings of that era in the town and in its near neighbours Worthing and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, but is little known elsewhere. In this respect, it is similar to mathematical tile
Mathematical tile
Mathematical tiles are a building material used extensively in the southeastern counties of England—especially East Sussex and Kent—in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were laid on the exterior of timber-framed buildings as an alternative to brickwork, which their appearance closely resembled...
s—another localised building material introduced in, and characteristic of, that era. It can incorporate any of a wide variety of substances and materials, and is used most often in external walls.
The manufacture of bungaroosh involved placing miscellaneous materials, such as whole or broken bricks, cobblestones, flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
s (commonly found on the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
around Brighton), small pebbles, sand and pieces of wood, into hydraulic lime
Hydraulic lime
Hydraulic lime is a variety of lime, a slaked lime used to make lime mortar. Hydraulicity is the ability of lime to set under water. Hydraulic lime is produced by heating calcining limestone that contains clay and other impurities. Calcium reacts in the kiln with the clay minerals to produce...
and shuttering
Formwork
Formwork is the term given to either temporary or permanent molds into which concrete or similar materials are poured. In the context of concrete construction, the falsework supports the shuttering moulds.-Formwork and concrete form types:...
it until it set. The shuttering (formwork) process typically involved erecting a wooden frame (often made out of railway sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
after they became readily available in the 19th century), pouring in the lime and adding solid materials to the mixture. Other structural fittings, such as brick piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
or wooden lintel
Lintel (architecture)
A lintel can be a load-bearing building component, a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. It is often found over portals, doors, and windows.-Structural uses:...
s, could then be added if more support was needed or other structures were to be added. This was particularly common in Brighton, where bungaroosh walls were often built behind the impressive stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed façades of Regency-style houses
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
. (The material is particularly prevalent in the early 19th-century squares, crescents and terraces of Brighton's seafront, such as Regency Square
Regency Square, Brighton
Regency Square is a large early 19th-century residential development on the seafront in Brighton, part of the British city of Brighton and Hove...
, Royal Crescent
Royal Crescent, Brighton
Royal Crescent is a crescent-shaped terrace of houses on the seafront in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in the late 18th and early 19th century as a speculative development on cliffs east of Brighton by a wealthy merchant, the 14 lodging houses formed the town's...
and the Kemp Town
Kemp Town
Kemp Town is a 19th Century residential estate in the east of Brighton in East Sussex, England, UK. Kemp Town was conceived and financed by Thomas Read Kemp. It has given its name to the larger Kemptown region of Brighton....
estate.) Another technique was to wait for the mixture to set, then render it with a lime-based mixture and paint it. This produced a consistent, regular surface which could be used to build the symmetrical façades required in Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
—a popular style in Lewes.
Although the material is solid once set, it has poor resistance to water. If it dries out completely, it can crumble away; but if it gets wet it can dissolve and start to move, causing structural failure. Regular drying-out and saturation caused by the effects of the weather has caused some bay-window fronts
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
to collapse in Brighton. A common maxim states that much of Brighton "could be demolished with a well-aimed hose"; the supposed extent of this destruction varies between "a third" and "half" depending on the source.
The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the word is unknown, but the first part may derive from the colloquial
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
verb "to bung", meaning to put something somewhere hastily or carelessly.