Most dry stone walling work is carried out with Neil Beasley, a fellow self-employed waller. We are both professional members of the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA), each holding the DSWA Intermediate Qualification, and have been walling within Yorkshire for a number of years.
Free, no obligation advice available whether you have a tumbled wall needing repair or are considering having a new wall or feature. We undertake:
- repairs and insurance work
- walls with curves, slopes, styles, seats and other special features
- retaining walls
- sourcing of stone from quarries and stone merchants
- small gapping jobs to large projects
In addition to these services we have access to specialists in design for bespoke dry stone features.
Curved retaining wall
Guide to Inspecting Dry Stone Walling Work
Whether you decide to use us for your walling needs or not, here is a brief guide to inspecting a dry stone wall:
Well-constructed dry stone walls can last for decades, even hundreds of
years. The main reasons for early deterioration include close growing
trees and bushes, ivy and similar penetrating vegetation and poor initial
construction. Whilst the presence of plant growth is obvious to all, the
signs of a well-constructed wall may not be. Some indications of a well-constructed
wall include:
High retaining wall
- Stones are laid such that most of the joints between stones are bridged.
- A good proportion of stones are laid with their length going into the wall and large stones that span the width of the wall are placed at regular intervals.
- When viewed from the end, the wall is narrower at the top than the bottom; this means the wall settles in on itself and actually gets stronger over the first few months.
- The top stones pinch both sides of the wall and are tightly packed against each other; they should not be easily removed.
- The large foundation stones are firm and
level and penetrate at least a third of the width of the wall.
West Yorkshire Open Walling Championship, Honley Show, 2007