Wattle (construction)

Wattle is made by weaving flexible branches around upright stakes to form a woven lattice.

The wattle may be made into an individual panel, commonly called a hurdle, or it may be formed into a continuous fence.

Starting at the bottom, flexible willow shoots, called withies, are woven in and out of the uprights (staves).

Probably the ends of the Romano-British wattles were formed in the same manner as are hurdles in West Surrey to-day.

The hurdle maker uses a 'hurdle frame,' a long shaped block slightly curved to hold the feet of the uprights, which are round rods; 'the man then weaves in horizontally the smaller split rods till he has filled up the hurdle.