Plough Book Sales

The author, Lawrence Garner is a professional writer on landscape and country-side topics. He developed an amateur interest in the craft of dry stone walling when he moved to the borders of north Wales more than twenty years ago. In 1980 he took up a three-year grant-aided post as the first Director of the Dry Stone Walling Association and was involved in establishing a professional register and encouraging various types of training.

The dry stone walls of Britain happen also to be in areas which attract many tourists and 'So it is not surprising that the walls that are an integral part of the landscape should provoke so many questions: 'When were they built?', Who built them?', 'How do they stand up without cement?' This book answers these and many other questions. The reasons for building dry stone walls, the story of their development, technical details of their construction, regional styles and the state of the craft today are all covered. Some old myths and legends are dispelled, in particular the mistaken idea that walling is a dying craft. This survey for the general reader is an ideal introduction to more detailed study.

• A common feature is a small hole in the bottom of the wall to allow sheep access from one field to another. A stout stone across the top acts as a lintel. The same technique may be used where a wall crosses a stream.
• The mountain walls of North Wales are among the most impressive anywhere, running for miles over severe country, enclosing vast grazing areas and often climbing slopes of over 45 degrees.
• A characteristic feature of south-west England is the stone hedge - basically an earth bank faced with stone and topped with turf, brushwood or stone.

Code No. 002577, 32 pages, ISBN 9780747806202, $13.00

This item is listed under the following subjects: