A drystone wall is built of purely natural materials, will last for generations, and enhances the looks and value of any property.
Traditionally walls or dykes were built from the local stone, mostly cleared from the fields they surround. Many of the old field walls you can still see throughout Britain were built in response to the Enclosure Acts of the 16th Century. Each wall was built to extremely exacting standards. Today there is a wider choice of stone available, but your walls will still be built using the same traditional methods, with a strength and beauty that is unique to this ancient craft.
Traditionally walls or dykes were built from the local stone, mostly cleared from the fields they surround. Many of the old field walls you can still see throughout Britain were built in response to the Enclosure Acts of the 16th Century. Each wall was built to extremely exacting standards. Today there is a wider choice of stone available, but your walls will still be built using the same traditional methods, with a strength and beauty that is unique to this ancient craft.
Drystone walls are an incredibly valuable wildlife habitat. They form continuous corridors allowing the movement of all sorts of animals across the landscape. They offer shelter and safety to a variety of small mammals, which in turn provide hunting grounds for stoats and weasels.
Over time, a wall can develop a specialised flora, capable of surviving the harsh microhabitats of the bare stone and rough joints. Ferns and mosses can grow to abundance, while foxglove and pennywort can provide a pleasing additional dimension to the wall, and attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other insects, which in turn encourage birds of many kinds. Not only are your walls a secure and handsome boundary, they can also provide hours of entertainment watching the wild inhabitants.