Bransdale’s Dry-Stone Walls: Standing Strong, Sometimes

Dry-stone walls are everywhere on the North York Moors and in other rocky parts of Britain, mostly because they are built to last and farmers found plenty of stones lying around. The concept is hardly original; versions of these walls have existed since Neolithic times, and from Europe to Africa¹Anne Howard, RuralHistoria, 2023 URL:https://ruralhistoria.com/2023/06/15/dry-stone-wall/.

The idea is simple: pile up stones without mortar and hope they stay put. It works surprisingly well when done properly, relying on the sheer weight of the stones and the builder’s ability to place them in a way that stops the whole thing from toppling over. Britain alone has about 200,000 kilometres of these walls, many of which are now in various states of disrepair. This particular one in Bransdale seemingly met its end thanks to an overly enthusiastic attempt at tree felling.

The fallen stones are being gathered and roughly sorted—big ones for the base, flattish ones for the top. The lower layers are still sloping, and these large stones need shifting back level. Unlike the usual single-skin construction in Bransdale, this section was built double-skinned, perhaps to deal with a patch of boggy, sloping ground. It obviously did not work.

To avoid inevitable collapse, double-skinned walls require “through-stones” that stretch across the width, holding both sides together, with the gap in between filled with smaller “hearting stones.” Finally, “coping stones” are placed on top to add a finishing touch and, ideally, prevent further structural failure.

Dry-stone walls may look simple, but their strength relies on careful construction and regular upkeep—both of which are often neglected. When built correctly, they can stand for centuries; when not, they collapse into untidy heaps, as happened here in Bransdale. With patience and a good eye for stone placement, this wall will be rebuilt, at least until the next inevitable force—sheep, subsidence, or weather—brings it down again.

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  Anne Howard, RuralHistoria, 2023 URL:https://ruralhistoria.com/2023/06/15/dry-stone-wall/