For practical purposes, retaining walls may be divided into two types: “domestic” walls, under 1.5m in height and not subject to heavy loading such as field walls with a substantial difference in ground level on either side, garden retaining walls or ha-ha. These notes refer to these “domestic” walls.
There are three key areas in the use of dry stone: free standing walls which are by far the most common application of the craft in the United Kingdom; load bearing retaining walls and domestic structures particularly houses, barns and ancient monuments. These notes deal with free standing walls of a generally found type
For practical purposes, retaining walls may be divided into two types: “domestic” walls, under 1.5m in height and not subject to heavy loading such as field walls with a substantial difference in ground level on either side, garden retaining walls or ha-ha. These notes refer to these “domestic” walls.
Churchyards all have a boundary to define the sacred area and, more practically, to keep farm animals out. However, sheep, goats and geese are sometimes shut inside nowadays until the grass is cut. Depending on the type of country, the boundary may be a hedge, or a stone or brick wall built using mortar.
Lines of dry stone shooting butts are a distinctive landscape feature on our upland heather moors, some of the earliest examples dating back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. They usually consist of a dry stone enclosure to conceal the occupants and offer some shelter from the elements, topped off with turf.
