Follow one of our 2012 Heritage Restoration Dry Stone Walling Projects....

Dry Stone Retaining Walls/ Gravity Walls/ Revetments

In 2011 we recieved a higher than average number of enquiries regarding failed 'dry stone retaining wal'l constructions. Equally, we have been appointed to correct a large number of 'dry stone retaining walls' - this term being generally used to describe highly specialised dry stone Gravity Walls and Revetments.

Early 2012 already continues to provide a number of contracts in correcting and rebuilding such walls by us to construction industry standards. Perhaps alarmingly, 46% of walls were built in 2011 by other contractors.

The main reason for failure of such walls, we have found is that of misinformed construction methods ie many of our clients were informed by their contractor, that such walls were 'half a dry stone wall, stacked against the banking'.

Should you be looking towards constructing a dry stone retaining wall, Gravity wall or revetment, or indeed, correcting one, we would advise you appoint a specialist in this field.

Drystone Craft international TM are experts in constructing dry stone retaining wall, gravity wall/ revetment and have many years of extensive building experience in this highly specialised area of stonework construction. We provide specialist excavation machinery, specialist geological/ water/ soil investigations, specialist staff and specialist construction techniques used in the British construction industry.

These structures require specialist construction techniques and are not merely stones 'stacked against an earth bank' with rubble infil, tie stones or through stones. Their outer appearance may look similar to a dry stone wall, but their internal structure and load bearing behaviours are very different from a typical dry stone wall construction.

There are many considerations to be taken into account before and during construction, including load bearing calculations, soil mechanics, underlying drainage and geological considerations to name a few. Insist on these calculations, full considerations and at least a five million pounds liability insurance, a building contract and membership of a professional building organisation eg FMB.

A poorly contructed 'dry stone retaining wall' may not fulfill the purpose for which it was constructed, unless constructed as a true Gravity wall, of which there are many built circa 1800, still standing and performing well and built by informed stonework engineers.

Contact us for more information regarding your Gravity Wall requirements.

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Follow one of our 2012 Heritage Restoration Dry Stone Walling Projects....

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Welcome to our 2012 project blog where you will be able to follow us and gain an insight into the work of one our Lancashire dry stone walling teams, in their work on a dry stone walling heritage restoration project..

We will be providing a monthly blog feature on one of our grant funded Heritage Stonework Restoration Projects for dry stone walling in lancashire- phase 1.

More information on our grant funding scheme for dry stone walls is available ...

Dry Stone Walling Heritage Restoration Works Description

Context: Heritage restoration, Private Grant funded

Dry stone walling in Lancashire

Phase: 1 (of 5). phase 1 is one of five dry stone wall restoration projects

making up a whole farm walls restoration.: N1:N6

Location: Hoghton, Preston. Lancashire

Purpose: Agricultural Stock Wall

Date constructed: 1841

Rebuild Commencement: 25/01/12

Length: Phase 1: N1:N2. three hundred and twenty two metres

Height: 1.6m

Stone type: Gritstone

Copestones: half moon, hand masoned

Condition assessment: phase 1: N1 to N2. Major slumping and bulging/ bellying, approximately

86% copestones on site or on wall. Structure: standard build. Foundations 78% secure. Tree growth in/at wall: 7 elder, three hawthorn - invasive.

Contract: Total rebuild N1:N6

Grant funding allocation: (phase 1: N1:N2) 56%

Other: N3 intersection (phase 2)

Existing dry stone wall conditions of N1 to N2 at 12/11/11 more photos soon

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Our Monthly Blog....

December 2011/ January 2012 .....

Most of December was spent in meetings and site visits with the landowner and everyone else connected to the project, followed by a lengthy mapping exercise in January for the Lancashire dry stone walls, where we mapped, photographed and condition assessed all the dry stone walls - phases 1 to 5, preparing our final report for mid January; this was followed by site specific risk assessments, local history research and further meetings with all concerned. It was 7.30am on the 25th January when we began works on phase 1, tree pruning, dismantling, sorting and grading a 20 metre section of dry stone wall, constructing and aligning precision wooden batter frames on site. We will be using batter frames and lines throughout the project as we will be working on long sections of dry stone wall and the completed works need to be as close as possible to the original construction. The weather, so far has been mild, although rain and high winds have been with us along with a very wet ground underfoot. Hopefully the relatively mild weather will continue as we progress with works into February. Our next blog will be towards the end of February.....

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Dismantling Batter frame Tree pruning

February 2012 .....

Works are well underway...

Snapshot of works in progress - top of dry stone wall - section complete, levelled and beginning of alignment of copestones

Since our last blog we have made good progress with reconstructing 30 metres of Lancashire dry stone wall to original specification. The weather has been mixed, but generally good. During dismantling of the dry stone wall we discovered three bands of through stones which run the entire length of the stretch of wall. Two bands were recognisable by their throughstones protruding from the wall, but unusually the distance between the bands was just 12 inches; the third set of throughs were placed at 80% wall height, again in bands along the length of the entire wall, but not protruding - the top of the wall being capped by the half moon, hand masoned copestones.We will be meeting with a local historian later this month to discuss the significance of the wall. Many trees that were overhanging the dry stone wall have been pruned to enable easy access for us and agricultural machinery. Perhaps the highlights of this month was a visit from the building skills heritage folk to see how one of our apprentices was getting on and also, around 7.20 am on a frosty morning, a stoat in its white winter coat scampered along a series of copestones on the wall in front of us whilst we were drinking coffee! In march we hope to tackle a longer stretch of dry stone wall and place and pin copestones to the finished section. Our next blog will be towards the end of march and we will be adding some photos for february here soon....

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March

Most of this month we have spent alot of time on wet marsh ground, removing and setting new foundations for the next 40 metres rebuild of dry stone wall. Amongst stripping out the wall and grading stone, we restored some 56 copestones and all were placed on the levelled dry stone wall in one day, despite their heavy weight. Mid march to 26th march, our team undertook two weeks of professional development, where we took time away from work on the wall to spend some time with a stonemasonry company in wales. During the time we were away, our second team of dry stone wallers undertook further restoration of copestones on the dry stone wall and the works to date were opened for two days for visitors in the local area. We are now starting to rebuild the next 40 metres and with the hot, dry weather set to continue and more light in the evenings, we will hopefully achieve next months targets. Finds from inside the dry stone wall in March have included clay pipes, old coins, copper buttons, a whisky flask and a few old bottles with marbles inside.

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left. copestone separation (mortar removal). Above. finished south facing wall at 20 m.

Below: final mortar removal before placing

April

snapshot - final levelling before placing copestones

Early to mid April works have been slower due to the continuation of resetting foundation stones and a shortage of hearting stone, alot of which had decayed over the years; thankfully a trailer load of rubble stone was supplied and we are now continuing to pick up pace again. April 15th saw us stop work for around ten minutes as we watched two hares chasing and 'boxing', making their way around the field at speed and then up and over the 1.6m dry stone wall , into the woodland behind. Four buzzards continue to circle, mid morning each day above us looking for still born lambs and we now have a robin each morning, perched on our batter frame waiting for insects near the dry stone wall. We will be raising a high visibility safety line with small tabs at 12 inches above our finished dry stone walling works, as towards the end of April, early one morning three adult roe deer jumped over the wall whilst we were setting levels at ground level on the other side! Water continues to accumilate underfoot as the weather is still rather wet, despite the warm spell a few weeks ago. The Heritage folk will be visiting us again in May along with a few local landowners.

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Two bands of throughstones placed

as in the original dry stone wall

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