Four participants each built their own feature over the course of three days, selecting an arch, a square corner, a round corner, or a squeeze stile. On day one, instructor Brian Post engaged students in lots of learning and discussion about each feature’s structure, purpose, traditional use, and variations.
Days two and three involved practical hands on building, with a mad dash to finish in time by the end of the last day. A participant in the Cheek Rebuild workshop joined the crew working on the Master Feature Wall. Martin Beevers joined the teaching team for days two and three.
Thanks to all of the wallers who came to learn and who left having accomplished these outcomes:
- Built the first round end ever at the Stone Trust
- Rebuilt an existing square corner to a much higher standard
- Built a squeeze stile which has been absent from the Masters park since 2017
- Added another well-built arch which had been taken down in 2018
All of the features addressed in this workshop are options that candidates for the DSWA-GB Master Craftsman Test can choose to build to prove mastery of the craft. We hope some of the Level 1 and Level 2 wallers who participated in this 3-day workshop may aspire to that level of craftsmanship. What better way to preserve and advance the art and craft of dry stone walling?
Thanks very much, too, to Joe Dinwiddie, Seth Harris, and Judy Rand for coming to help at various points throughout the workshop. The Stone Trust builds walls in the context of a very supportive walling community. Much appreciated!