Sam Smith has an excellent reputation as a talented and highly skilled drystone waller. Not only are his walls built to stand for many many years to come but they are a stunning piece of art.
There is far more to building dry stone walls than simply placing rocks on top of one another. “They are works of art, products of skill and of a complex sense of fitness and of fitting-together. There is artistry in both their construction and in their placement” Wendell Berry (in M. Cook’s , Stone Walls 2010).
Dry stone walls contain no mortar to bind the stones together, instead the strength of the wall relies on the stones being skilfully placed by hand. Built correctly, a dry stone wall will last many decades and is a constructed thing of beauty. Dry stone walls are naturally free draining and provide the perfect refuge for wildlife, lizards and amphibious creatures, who make their homes in the gaps between the rocks. Drought resistant succulents such as Sedum and Echeveria grow happily in between the rocks, adding a softer finish to the walls if you prefer.
