Zonal – Recognising Your Region
One of the joys of living in Britain is the natural diversity of just about everything, including
scenery, temperature fluctuations, weather and types of flora and fauna, natural stone and
aggregates, soils and styles of architecture that are historical features all bundled into one
little country.
This factor is often neglected when offering advice on social media, in written matter, books and
magazines, on radio and television. What is appropriate for Cornwall may not suit Aberdeen!
In the world of landscaping, nothing is more important than our raw materials, especially
sands and aggregates. ‘Soft sand’ from Bristol when used in general building works is a whole
different beast from ‘Soft sand’ from Guildford or Nottingham or Glasgow.
‘Sharp sand’ has similar variations, although the type of use may be the same e.g. under block
paving, sharp sand from South Wales would not be recognised as such in Kent.
These variations are unimportant to those working locally, as you know what works and what
is suitable for use under your circumstances.
Where these differences do start to matter is when project specification becomes an important
factor in a contract.
For example, if a specification calls for ‘Hoggin’ – a term that is interpreted as a clay based,
sticky material with a high flint content, for use as a sub-base under a driveway in some areas,
whilst Hoggin will be a clay-based material with a foundation of limestone in others, there
is scope for contractual misunderstandings between Parties if the specification is drawn up
by an Architect without adding more information to the instruction. Always qualify all such
specifications by nominating a particular quarry to avoid any question of uncertainty.
Local terms for the same products also vary, and include ‘Clag,’ ‘Muck’, ‘Clench’, ‘Compo’,
or ‘Scalpings’, ‘Bottomings’ or ‘Scrapings’ for the same/different types of sub-base material
suitable for use under paving projects or driveways.
