Dry Stone Walling
Dry stone walls are key features in hill areas throughout the British Isles, many being thousands of years old.
Dry stone walls (DSWs) are important for farming because they contain livestock, shelter crops, and outlast other types of field boundary many times over.
DSWs are essential to the landscape of this country as they can:
- act as wildlife corridors
- provide homes for plants, insects, reptiles, mammals
- are indicators of our historical cultural heritage
Because DSWs draw on the character, local distinctiveness and landscape of specific places they are sometimes listed as archaeological monuments. Aesthetically some DSWs are considered to be 'an unintended beauty' because of the pattern that naturally occurs as the stones are placed together. With all this in mind, it is vital that this indigenous craft tradition is kept alive by maintaining existing walls and constructing new ones.
The Cheshire Landscape Trust coordinates the Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for DSWs in Cheshire which seeks to identify the extent and condition of all the DSWs throughout the county. For a copy of the LBAP click here.
In partnership with the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) of Great Britain, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge Habitats and Hillforts Project, the Trust aims to identify the quantity and quality of DSWs in Cheshire, to prevent further damage, and to continue to promote the importance of DSWs. It is important to note that DSWs offer shelter for wildlife, provide stock proofing for farmers, and create local distinctiveness in the general landscape.
The LBAP's aim is to ensure that DSWs are protected from further deterioration/removal and to encourage the up-take of agri-environmental schemes to restore and maintain existing DSWs. Whilst encouraging individuals to join the DSWA, it also seeks to promote the work of the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), Natural England and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) whose advisors can provide advice on grants and professional help.
Cheshire Landscape Trust run dry stone walling workshops that give a basic introduction to the techniques involved with creating and renovating walls in Cheshire. For more information contact Cheshire Landscape Trust or go to our news page.
