Charles Harper

“The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) was established in 1968 and is a registered charity that works to advance education in the craft and heritage of dry stone walling for the public benefit.”

Last year I watched a repair to a section of this wall near us. In this picture the blue March sky has a tracery of yellow-grey branches. They are like old bones contorted with new life springing from the yellow grass and lichen covered dyke.

#stone #spring #isleofskye #renewal

Jan 28, 2023 at 7:52amWeb
Show threadJo H ✈️Jan 28, 2023
@ChaHarper When I was a kid, I helped my Dad repair a section of dry stone wall that had fallen in our garden. It took us all day and a was a giant jigsaw puzzle. It’s still standing 40 years later.
Show threadCharles HarperJan 28, 2023
@futurshox My Dad was a stonemason and he could carry out repairs to fallen sections too. I'm glad there is a continuation of the craft here on Skye.
Show threadJo H ✈️Jan 28, 2023
@ChaHarper We are very definitely not stonemasons! So I remain proud that our work is still standing ;-) Dry stone walls are wonderful. Every now and again I find one here in Texas and it surprises me (I grew up in Gloucestershire). Perhaps the craft lives on a little here, too.
Show threadCharles HarperJan 28, 2023
@futurshox I found this: “The technique of construction was brought to America primarily by English and Scots-Irish immigrants.” From Wikipedia. I’m not a stonemason. So interesting to know that a craft we had experience of as children is thriving somehow on both sides of the Atlantic.
Show threadNot2dayJan 28, 2023
@ChaHarper there are many examples of dry stone walling in South Australia near to where I grew up. This skill was obviously used by many of the new settlers in the country.
Show threadCharles HarperJan 28, 2023
@Mitzy “The technique was also taken to Australia (principally western Victoria and some parts of Tasmania and New South Wales) and New Zealand (especially Otago).” That from Wikipedia. Fascinating.
Show threadMikeJan 29, 2023
@ChaHarper great to see. I went to a rural school with a working farm, and we learnt how to lay hedges. I wish more kids got the chance to appreciate the skills and importance to the countryside of these things.