Early settlers in the Cayman Islands in the 1700's lived very simply, using the materials most immediately at hand to provide them with shelter. As communities grew, so people began to build more substantial homes, using techniques that many of them had seen and used in other countries. One such building method is known as wattle and daub, whereby a wooden framework is filled in with wooden lathes covered with plaster.

Wattle and daub houses probably appeared within just a few years of the first settlement. Ironwood grew an abundance in the islands and was found to be a particularly good wood for building work as it was resistant to rot and termites and not inclined to warp. It was used to construct the framework of houses which were usually rectangular single room dwellings, about 18 feet by 28 feet in size, with the floor raised about 18 inches off the ground to allow storm surge flood waters to run through. Ironwood supports were placed approximately 30 inches apart with cross beams, held in place using dovetail joints and wooden dowel joints (iron nails rusted too quickly in the tropical climate), to indicate the position of the door and windows.

The houses would usually have a central front door and windows on all four sides which were either square or rectangular holes in the walls with outside shutters, suspended from the top or the sides, that were closed at night or when it rained. The roofs, which were thatched with leaves from the Silver Thatch Palm (or, later, with Cedar wood shingles then zinc) also had to deal with heavy rainfall, and so all four sides would be sloped away from a short, narrow central ridge, with an overhang to help keep the walls dry. The walls would be filled in with wattle and daub.

The wattle was a woven panel, made of thin strips of a soft green wood - usually Sea Grape, Strawberry or Cabbage wood. Small branches were cut into long, narrow strips and woven in and out of upright lathes fixed to the Ironwood supports. This formed the base upon which the plaster (daub) would be fixed; its rough open texture providing a "key" to hold the soft daub in place.

Preparing the daub was a much more strenuous task. Older Caymanians can still remember the hard work involved in completing the walls of their homes. A large number of materials had to be gathered before work could start. Very often, teams of neighbours would assist each other. There was very little cash available on the islands at this time, so people shared the labour and their resources.

Small boats would be taken out to the reef to collect "pan shoal" coral rocks in large quantities to make the lime which was the chief component of the daub. This could be painful work, as the rocks were jagged and cut the hands of the gatherers. The rocks would then be broken up into smaller pieces - another slow process. Miss Lacy (Geneva Range) remembers that after a day of collecting these rocks, their hands were so sore that they could "scarcely even hold the fork to pick the food out of the plate".

Meanwhile, if there was enough help around, another team of workers would be in the wood, searching for large, mature logs, usually of Grape wood, and Candle wood to make a kiln (or keil). The heart of the kiln would be the logs, with a funnel left through the middle for air flow.  A pile of coral rocks, several feet high, would then be piled around. Using the Candle wood - sometimes encouraged with an extra douse of kerosene - the fire would be lit. The fire would reach exceedingly high temperatures, and burn all night, and sometimes through the next day. The sound of the rocks crackling and spitting could be heard as they fell into the hot ash. When the kiln was burned out, water was thrown over the rocks to cool them (if the rain did not do the job first!) and they crumbled into dust. This dust was the lime needed for the daub.

Next, the job of mixing and applying the daub could begin. Over the years this became a recognised skill for which people were paid. The lime powder was mixed with water and sand until a stiff, pliable "mud" resulted. This was daubed on to the wattles, smoothed over and left to dry. A good wattle wall, daubed inside and out, would be about six inches thick and could resist rain and sun.

When Caymanians speak of a "wall" house, they are referring to a wattle and daub building. It is not known if "wall" is a derivation of "wattle" or whether it is just a reference to a solid wall.

Wattle and Daub houses were very strong. Many have withstood hurricanes. The amount of labour involved in the process, however, was a disadvantage and when machine cut timber became more readily available in Cayman, so this method of building died out. It is fortunate that a few of these old homes still survive today, allowing us to see and appreciate all the work that went into their construction.

Last Updated: 27 Jun 2012