What is "galleting"

Galleting, sometimes known as garretting or garnetting, is an architectural technique in which small pieces of stone are pushed into wet mortar during the construction of a building. It is mostly used for stone building when freestone is not available, since it helps to fill the uneven gaps and reinforces the mortar. Although primarily for this purpose, it is sometimes also used for decorative effect. Norwich Guildhall is an early 15th-century example, but the technique was used in vernacular architecture until the 19th century. In higher status buildings it was superseded by square knapping the flints to produce flat, squared stones that produced a surface with little exposed mortar.

Galletting was a common technique in those parts of Southeast England between the North and South Downs, where sandstone buildings may be galleted with ironstone. In North Norfolk and Norwich, local stones, such as carrstone, may be bonded with flint.