Coping with different Rock

Recently I was working with a group of trainees at the Scottish Lime Centre in Charlestown. One of the outstanding features of the site was that there was a wonderful collection of different types of stone. Our challenge was to extend the present wall using the type of stone available. You can possibly see from the first photo that we had various sandstones, bassalt, red and white marble, mudstone, granite all around for the main part of the wall. As an exercise we used bassalt kerb stones, mudstone and a yellowish sandstone on different sections of coping. It will be very interesting in the long term to discover how each of these sections stands up to the weathering. The group did a tricky job very well.

Thanks for a good couple of days to Alice, Colin, Fiona, Jill, Kenny and Stan. Also thanks to residents Steve and Tom for their preparation help and advice.

For more information about the Lime Centre and courses available go to http://www.scotlime.org/

Neat wall

This very neat construction was built by Karl Kaufmann. Although not truly dry stone work, Karl has used the same principles and produced what I consider to be magnificent wall. He is based in Ivoryton in USA. Interesting name for a town I wonder what the origin refers to. Buffalo Horn?
For more examples of his work go to http://www.kaufmannmasonry.com

Brick oven

This brick oven was built by John Shaw-Rimmington recently from stone removed from a previously dismantled oven. The second shot shows the fire clay bricks used to prevent rocks cracking with the heat.

For more information contact JSR at shaw-rimmington@sympatico.ca

Training Course in Canada

This course using mainly novices was the first run by the recently formed Dry Stone Guild of Canada under the direction of Dean McLellan. The course instructor was Andy Loudon from the UK. A very high standard was achieved.

Water Has it's Way

During the reign of Queen Victoria a road was built along the North side of Loch Muick(pronounced Mick)on her Deeside estate. A wall stretched for several miles beside the road. Some very neat drains were set in with channels across under the surface . You can see from this photo where the original stream flowed down to the drainage point. About ten years ago the water had found a new route from a spring down to the road. I was asked to divert the flow back to it's original 19th century position. I did that but within another five years the water had "decided" to revert. Finally the estate have given up the struggle and put a new drain across the road.Both the courses still show and emphasise that when dealing with H2O the liquid has a mind of its own. Sometimes as humans we learn these lessons very slowly.

Water Feature

This very attractive water feature was built by Canadian waller Eric Landman. I shall post more of Eric's fine work in this blog over the summer.

Castle Hill New Zealand

This photo of an Sacred site in New Zealand was taken by Peter Nickolls. I find it quite amazing.

Sundial at Drummond Castle

The garden at Drummond castle was set out in the form of a Saint Andrews cross in the 17th century. Although the planting was restored in Victorian times this central feature a celestial Sundial still stands in the centre. Those of you who saw the film Rob Roy would have seen the garden in all its glory.
I am grateful to Evan Oxland for the photo . He visited the grounds during his study of the great gardens of Europe.

Deserted Village

This photo shows the remains of a deserted village in The Sma Glen in the highlands of Scotland. This highland township was typical of the groups of dry stone houses in Scotland before the clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries.In much of Scotland the land was taken from the people when landowners,empowered by legislation in London, brought in sheep as an attempt to make the countryside more profitable. Now in the 21st century the Tourist trade is the most important industry in the area. Bizarrely many of these tourists are descendants of the people who were driven to emigrate.

Extreme Walling

Tracey Blackwell sent this photo of stonework above an old quarry quite close to her home in Yorkshire. One can only wonder at the skill and dedication of the folk who built this retaining wall. Apparently there is a severe fault in the rock at the top of the quarry which could have led to part of the field sliding into the space.Even now in the 21st century a repair in this situation would have presented a major problem.