A corollary to this is the use of inappropriately skilled workers to build large areas of walling on major publicly funded projects, such as alongside motorways and bypasses. DSWA has experience of several past and ongoing projects where many kilometres of walls and dykes have been built to a standard which would disgrace someone with even one week’s properly instructed training. Compare these two images: one from a current publicly funded roads project (aboveleft) and the other from one of the bursary HLF trainees after a few weeks’ experience (above right).

During this time the trainees have received intensive walling training as well as training in a range of other areas including business management, health and safety, and first aid. The aim is to train this group so that they will have gained their Level 3 certificate at the end of the training period. The project is on course at the moment and, if successful, DSWA believes it could be rolled out elsewhere in the country. Course: A course is the term used to describe a layer of face stones in the wall. Some walls are built without courses, which are referred to as random walls. In many walls however the stone is arranged into courses. The courses may be more or less rigid depending on the stone, walling style and the waller.Walls built with level bedded stone often look neater. Irregular stone tends to look more rustic. However the skill of the waller and style being built affect this as much as the stone. Walls built with larger stone also tend to look more rustic. Smaller stones tend give a more tidy look. While you want to build the best wall possible, don’t try to force the stones into a character they are not.

How does the ancient craft of dry stone walling, or ‘dyking’ in Scotland, fit into the modern heritage skills sector? The first point to recognise is that the craft did indeed experience a severe downturn, particularly after the second world war, as farms became more mechanised and there were fewer spare hands to maintain the huge number of agricultural walls. Hearting: This is the small stones used to fill in the gaps between the face stones in the wall. Hearting is scaled, like the face stone. Larger hearting is used near the bottom of the wall and smaller pieces near the top. We can depict batter as a ratio of the run (Horizontal distance) to rise (Vertical distance). The typical ration is from 1:6 to 1:10. One of the dry stone walls the pair have been working on. (Kirstie De Garis) Dry Stone Walling: It’s a Balancing Act Indeed, the dry stone walling trend is prevailing in the construction of a courtyard boundary and retaining wall projects in recent years. However, you can find decent dry-stone walls in Kings’ places in global history. History of Dry-stone WallsWhile some professional wallers prefer to work with bare hands, most people prefer to wear gloves. I find that the cloth covered gloves with the palm and fingers coated in rubber provide the best combination of protection and dexterity. Different weights are available for different temperatures. Leather gloves provide more protection, but limit dexterity. I do use insulated leather gloves in the winter to keep my hands warm. However, even the toughest leather gloves only last about for 50 hours when working with stone. Don’t be tempted to use expensive builders’ gloves (Iron Clad, etc.) as they only last about 1 day before wearing out. One of the best sources for gloves and other safety gear is Galeton. Wall stone can be divided into two basic categories: level bedded and irregular. Level bedded stones have parallel top and bottom surfaces, and will often split into thinner stones. Slate and shale and sandstone are typically level bedded stones. Some limestone and schist are also level bedded. Some wallers will also refer to level bedded stone as regular stone. In the ancient era, skills of dry-stone walling were passing in unorganized ways, mostly by one-on-one learning. However, today, ASLA and DSWA-GB, like non-profit and valid institutions, are providing professional-level courses like certificate and diploma programs. ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architect) and DSWA-GB (Dry Stone Walling Association-Great Britain) are organizations providing standard training to create certified professionals.

Steps, stiles, seats and monuments are often required and display gardens at local and national garden shows now provide the more adventurous wallers with excellent opportunities to showcase their work. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show can offer the craft an international shop window for wallers if garden designers provide encouragement for the imaginative use of stone. Dig a shallow trench for the foundation/footing with the desired depth & width of your dry-stone walling according to your plans. Watch your hands. When you are stripping out or loading stones, keep your eyes on your hands, not on the next stone you’re going to move. Some of the worst finger pinches I have seen were because the waller took his eyes off his hands in an effort to work faster. A moderately deep foundation requires for dry stone walling project depending on the nature of the soil and height of the wall.Strong and stable dry-stone walling is only possible with a strong foundation as per standard recommendations in the industry. Talk about how a wall is built, show everyone an existing piece of wall, point out the details of construction and identify and describe the regional style. In England and Wales Lantra provides a modern apprenticeship which allows employees the opportunity to get hands-on experience through a partnership between the apprentice, employer and training provider and leads to a recognised qualification. This is mainly targeted at 16–19 year olds with a lower level of funding available for students aged 20–24. However, within the environmental sector, this has had very little impact on the provision of qualified wallers continuing to practise their craft at a professional level. Unlike mortar-based or cement-concrete wall construction, dry stone walling is an art and demands especial skills in it. Therefore, modern technical universities and colleges are running certificate and diploma courses to train aspirants to work at a professional level, meeting the modern challenges using the latest technologies and tools. Demonstrate all new work techniques as you come to them. This will save mistakes and avoid accidents.