Dry Stone Walls

[Fnaar]

I'm always impressed by the sheer amount of work that has gone into creating dry stone walls in often the most inhospitable of places... I find myself taking photos of them sometimes, but the kids just think it's dad being weird again... so i was quite pleased to notice these pics on the beeb website...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9619000/9619365.stm

 

[wiggydiggy]

Did you see, oh I think it was countryfile or a similar program earlier this week?

It had a piece on dry stone walling including a competition were they dismantled then rebuilt damaged wall, each competitor had a small section to race to finish. Surprisingly good!

I also didnt know till that program that the stones on top (placed vertically) are there to stop animals from leaping over and damaging the wall. I always thought they were decoration

 

[Archie_tect]

Anyone can build a stone wall but there's an art and a skill born out of experience in building one that stays up and locks together.

 

[Fnaar]

No, I didn't see it

 

[snorri]

The regional variations in materials and construction around the UK add to my interest.

 

[wiggydiggy]

No, I didn't see it

I cant access iPlayer at work but if you check BBC1 and 2 for Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday this week it will be on there called 'countryfile' or similiar. Cant remember which day exactly sorry but you have until Sat to check all those days

 

[Beebo]

I watched an eposide of Paddy McGuinness and Rory Mcgrath's programme, where they travel round UK doing weird sports. Apparently there are organised dry stone walling competitions. One of the guys was in his 80's and had a finger missing from a previous incident.

Building a dry stone wall is like doing a jigsaw with no picture on the box.

 

[ASC1951]

I'm always impressed by the sheer amount of work that has gone into creating dry stone walls in often the most inhospitable of places...

There are quite a few up and down mountains in Scotland and northern England, above the grazing line, where I thought "what idiot would bother building a wall up here?" In fact they were often built by the large estates in bad times as an alternative to laying men off.

 

[User269]

Lots round here, but many have collapsed in places. The landowners tend to 'repair' with barbed wire, but there's a whole industry of dry stone walling courses and volunteers practising on damaged bits.
I like the look of the walls, but they're not all that practical. A few sheep leaping over them and they soon fall apart sadly.

 

[annedonnelly]

I cant access iPlayer at work but if you check BBC1 and 2 for Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday this week it will be on there called 'countryfile' or similiar. Cant remember which day exactly sorry but you have until Sat to check all those days

It was Sunday evening's BBC1 Countryfile - it's the only day of the week I see TV so easy to remember

 

[longers]

There are quite a few up and down mountains in Scotland and northern England, above the grazing line, where I thought "what idiot would bother building a wall up here?" In fact they were often built by the large estates in bad times as an alternative to laying men off.

I was told that Italian prisoners of war (ww2) were kept busy doing a lot of walling and guessed that they'd been asked to build some of the more challenging/odd looking ones just for something to keep them occupied.
Happy to be proved wrong, but I was told they built quite a few walls round Melmerby at least.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

This rebuild's been going on near me for over a year now, over half a mile of it...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-13808062

 

[Noodley]

I think the drystane wall programme thing was on Countryfile at Adam "whatshisname's" farm..my MiL was there when they were filming it.

I like drystane walls, and especially those in North of Englandshire.

 

[longers]

I quite fancy going and having a look at this wall one day - Millennium Wall

 

[dan_bo]

There's a bloke hangs around mossley (drinks in the church up top) and all he's done all his life is dry stone walls. Teef like a buggered graveyard, hands like shovels and fit as a fiddle. I wish I had his skills.