Dry stone walling is a building method for building walls constructed from local stone without using mortar to bind them together.
Dry stone walls are long-lasting because of the unique construction method used to build them.
Traditionally dry stone walls were constructed from the stone and boulders cleared from the fields by local farmers with some additional stone quarried nearby. For modern walls, it is most usual to use entirely quarried stone. The type of wall built will depend on the nature of the stones available.
Dry Stone Wall Construction
The most common type of dry stone wall construction is known as a “double” wall and is created using two rows of stones along the boundary. The initial stones used to create a foundation are set into the ground resting firmly on the subsoil. The subsequent rows of stone are mostly large and flattish, diminishing in size as the wall gets taller. This creates a wedge shape which not only gives the wall stability, but ensures that water is shed away from the wall.Where the natural stone shape is more rounded, smaller stone are used to infill the gaps. The wall is built up in courses (rather like a brick wall) but at intervals, large tie-stones are used to span both faces of the wall. The purpose of these is to bond together what would otherwise be two separate thin walls next to each other. The effect is to create a much stronger, more stable wall. In the UK it is usual for width of the wall to diminish as the wall gets higher. The spaces between the facing stones are carefully packed with a filling of smaller stones, again to aid stability.
The final layer at the very top of the wall is usually made of large stones, known as capstones or coping stones. The capstones span the complete width of the wall and help to prevent the two faces breaking apart.
Benefits of Dry Stone Walling
- In gardens they provide secure, long-lasting barriers
- They blend beautifully with local architecture
- They are excellent surfaces for mosses and lichens to grow on
- They create wildlife corridors for small mammals to move from place to place
- Wild flowers can grown within them
- Insects and reptiles may nest in their nooks and crannies
- They provide nesting areas for birds
- Curved walls and walls on undulating ground can follow the contour of the land and adjacent paths or roads
- On farmland, dry stone walls will keep livestock secure
- They provide shelter against the wind and rain for animals
- They help to prevent erosion of the soil
- They help to maintain local skilled crafts
Dry Stone Walling by Alex Rippon Stoneworks
When building a new dry stone wall or repairing an existing one, I always take into account local distinctiveness of stone in the area.walling across the country can be retained .When rebuilding an old wall, I make every effort to use the as much as possible of the existing stone and to conserve lichens and mosses as far as is practicable.
When building from scratch, I either create foundations with large stones placed against the sides of a trench to achieve a level top or I will dig a footing and fill with concrete before starting the process of dry stone walling. I take care to source the stone from local quarries (such as the Stamford Stone Company) and match the size, colour and thickness of the stone to the local style to ensure that style of the walling and the top coping blend in with existing stone walls in the area.
See examples of dry stone walls built by Alex Rippon Stoneworks in the gallery.
