Dry stone walls were originally a popular method of creating boundaries due to the fact that dry stone walls are inexpensive and consist only of stones, which are readily available in certain areas of the UK. Many people still use these stone wall laying techniques for these reasons, but also for their natural beauty and ability to blend into the field. The popularity of dry stone walls is widespread in the UK, but they are mainly used in Scotland, Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The walls themselves are made using stones and rocks specifically placed to interlock, ultimately forming a sturdy structure. They are often used for the boundaries of fields, but also as the boundaries of a garden, so it is helpful for people to know how to build them themselves.
The first step
The first thing to do is estimate how much stone you need for your wall. Once you have done that, you will need to find a source of stones. The best thing about stone walls is that it requires stones of various shapes and sizes, so you can find them anywhere. You could go touring the field (although this might turn out very time consuming) or find a recently demolished outbuilding and request the use of the stones that will likely go to the top. Alternatively you can purchase stones from certain vendors, limestone is a very popular choice for dry stone boundaries.
How to build a dry stone wall
Now to building the wall itself, this begins by digging a shallow trench in a contour as you want the wall to sit. Once this is done, you need to make the base of the wall with very flat and wide stones. It is important that these stones are all level with each other. The next layer should have the stones laid over the joints of the stones at the base. This is the technique that you continue to use as you create each layer. The stones should be made gradually smaller as you build a taller wall and remember not to use small stones near the base of the wall as this will make it unstable. There are several dry stone wall courses across the country or if you are not sure you are up to the job, call an expert!