HISTORY has been recreated in Oswaldtwistle with what is claimed to be the world's first disabled access toilet made in wattle and daub style.

The building, on the Tinker Brook Nursery site, off Roe Greave Road, is an environmentally-friendly alternative to the previous portable toilet.

In the long term, it is expected to reduce running costs on the 'green living' site which also features a wildlife pond, locally-grown fruit and vegetables and a tree nursery.

Children from St Mary's Primary School, Oswaldtwistle, toured the site after the building was completed to find out how it was put together and to help add daub, a mixture of clay and straw, to provide weather protection.

The main work was carried out earlier this year by local volunteers under the supervision of Barbara Jones, a straw bale expert from Todmorden.

Barbara, a roofer and joiner by trade, said: "I was looking to do something more environmentally-friendly and went travelling for new ideas.

"In the late 1970s wattle and daub was rediscovered in America, and there has been a huge revival."

Wattle and daub was used in the construction of buildings in Europe from medieval times.

Straw has been used in buildings as insulation for centuries but this method uses bales of straw as giant building blocks which are pinned together as well as to the foundations. A wooden roof plate is then fastened on top and after it has been rendered outside and plastered inside with mud, it is ready for use.

Building with straw is also a cheap and easy method of constructing a home as the bales are easy to work with and very few tools are needed.

It is also has good sound-absorbing qualities which guarantee a good night's sleep after the building work is finished.

Barbara has worked on more than 40 buildings in the UK and Ireland and there are now more than 100 in total.

Initially, the buildings were for offices and workshops as this was an experimental method, but there are now a dozen proper houses with families living in them, and work is starting on a two-storey wattle and daub building in Ireland - which will be the first in Europe.