There are thousands of earth buildings in the United Kingdom, some of which are over four hundred years old.

The thick cob walled houses in the West Country are probably the best known of all earth walled building types. Their thick walls are made by piling a mixture of subsoil and straw, about 600mm thick, on the wall and paring the rough edges flush with the wall.

Often, through inappropriate materials, the old cob has decayed and needs repairing. This can be done with cob bricks or blocks in a number of ways.