Rubble
Rubble is broken
Building

"
Work executed with more or less large stones put together without any attempt at
Rubble walls in Malta

Rubble walls (Maltese: ħitan tas-sejjieħ) are found all over the island of Malta. Similar walls are also frequently found in Sicily and the Arab countries. The various shapes and sizes of the stones used to build these walls look like stones that were found in the area lying on the ground or in the soil. It is most probable that the practice of building these walls around the field was inspired by the Arabs during their rule in Malta, as in Sicily which was also ruled by the Arabs around the same period. Maltese farmers found that the methods of building these walls was very efficient especially when resources were limited. Rubble walls are used to serve as borders between farms. A great advantage that rubble walls offered is that when heavy rain falls, their structure would allow excessive water to pass through and therefore, excess water will not ruin the products. Soil erosion is minimised as the wall structure allows the water to pass through but it traps the soil and prevents it from being carried away from the field. One can see many rubble walls on the side of the hills and in valleys where the land slopes down and consequently the soil is in greater danger of being carried away.[citation needed]
Rubble in Britain
In the British Islands, many mediaeval and post-mediaeval buildings are built of small natural stones, called rubble. As examples see the descriptions in two official list entries, provided by Historic England:
- No. 1191625 – Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, Chuckfield
- No. 1139238 – Church of St Mary, Longnewton, 1856/57
See also
- Backfill– material used to refill a disused trench
- Blockfield – A surface covered by irregular rocks, a 'Boulder field'
- Core-and-veneer – Wall building technique
- Debris – Scattered remains of something destroyed or discarded
- Riprap – Rock or concrete protective armour
- Ruin– Remains of human-made architecture
- Rubble trench foundation – Foundation construction approach
References
- ^ a b c d Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 804.
- ^ "Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009