Walls, walls and more walls!

I was fortunate to be able to sit in on the National Management Meeting of the DSWA on Saturday at the DSWA HQ at Crooklands near Kendal. It was an eye opener to gain an understanding of how much work and how many issues the management committee are dealing with on behalf of the DSWA. There is only one paid official, and the DSWA certainly get their salary’s worth from Alison!

I met some living legends in the dry stone walling world who’s names I have been taught to respect and admire by my teacher and Master Craftsman, Mike Rushton, and other well respected members of the walling community.

After the meeting, Branch Chairman Alan Devonport and myself braved the torrential rain which was bearing in on us horizontally carried by a wicket wind, to view the DSWA exhibition of different traditional styles of British walling. The exhibition is located at the Westmoreland County Showground so if you're going to the annual show on the 15^th of September I'd thoroughly recommend that you spend a half hour looking at these beautiful walls. They are fantastic and are a tribute to those craftsmen who built them. Have a look at these photos (I apologise for the quality of the piccies but it was chucking it down and I had to keep wiping the camera lens with and ever more waterlogged hankie!)

I must admit to having a vested interest in this piece of walling as I, through my stone company The Natural Stone Merchants, donated this stone to the DSWA. My hat of to those atht built this section as they've done a grand job!

A fine example of a bee bole where skeps (early bee hives made from clay) would have been stored.

A lunky or smoot in a wall made from Eden Vale Sandstone


I love this. It's a fantastic example of Galloway Stane Dyking made from granite. Absolutely stunning.


This is another fantastic piece of walling and stone which is an example of walling in the Highlands of Scotland.

Back of the Bee Bole

This it the stile in between my donation of Derbyshire Limestone and that from another quarry in Derbyshire. It amazing the difference in colour from quarries which are not far from each other.

On Sunday, armed with my new French hammer which I purchased from the DSWA, I went to finish off the cheek end at Richards farm.

My new French hammer. It has a vertical pointy end which is brill for cracking stone along the plane and a concave head which is brilliant for breaking and dressing the stone. A fine purchase!

It was a lovely warm day – a bit windy, but at least it keeps the flies away. It was one of those days where I was not happy with the standards of my walling and I rebuilt several pieces and I still wasn’t happy with those either. The weather turned and after two good soakings I decided to call it a day and go and feed my bees instead. So sorry Richard, its still not done mate but it won’t be long now! Needless to say I’m not publishing a photo of the wall until I’m happy with it!!

Just to prove that Sunday was only fit for ducks, here's Jemima and her new chicks enjoying the downpours at Richards farm!

A final word to my two flowers (who refused to be photographed for this blog!) well done on your excellent A levels and GCSE's. You thoroughly deserve your results with all the hard work which you put in. I'm a very proud Dud.