the more traditional style dry stone wall uses no mortar or cement and the stones are of varying sizes with larger, standing stones placed vertically along the top of the wall.
The newer style of building dry stone wall involves chipping the stones into bricks to make them easier to stack. While this saves time during the construction phase it shortens the life span of the wall compared to using older, more traditional methods.
Originally, dry stone walls were constructed using stones cleared from fields in preparation for ploughing. The stones were roughly stacked and larger standing stones were placed along the top to stop animals jumping the wall and more importantly – to stop humans from sitting on it.
The top standing stones dispersed rainwater, which then trickled harmlessly down through the large gaps between the stones. Newer methods involving brick shaped stones leave no gaps and provide no standing stones on the top – requiring a layer of cement to cap the wall instead. Rainwater gathers on the cement forming cracks and eventually damaging the wall further. Worse still – humans can now sit on the wall...