Welcome to the school of rock as new generation learns art of dry stone walling
Doctor offers classes in the ancient craft, which he says is ideal for those in their 20s looking for a change of career, writes Martha Vaughan
THE ancient art of dry stone walling will be taught to a new generation following a surge in demand for the 5,000-year-old craft, which has come back into fashion.
Made by carefully selecting interlocking stones, dry stone walls are built without the need for mortar to bind the stones together.
The walls were traditionally used for the boundaries of fields and churchyards, but experts said they are growing in popularity as people look to have them as a garden feature.
Dry stone waller Dr Richard Love, 76, hopes to inspire a younger generation to take up the “jigsaw” craft, which he said is ideal for 20 to 30-year-olds who are looking to retrain.
A purpose-built site has been created at the Scottish Lime Centre Trust in Charlestown, near Dunfermline, where classes will be taught to preserve the ancient technique.
Dr Love gave up a 26-year career in occupational medicine after discovering dry stone walling in 1995.
Grandfather-of-two Dr Love said the craft is eco-friendly as it uses all-natural materials which come from the environment.
Dr Love, from Broughton, Edinburgh, said: “It’s very interesting and practical. It’s like a mental jigsaw – you have to work out how shapes will fit together and the different orientations.
“Some people have an eye for it, but others don’t.
“It will give people the chance to socialise, learn a new skill and spend time outdoors.”
Dr Love said there are thousands of kilometres of stone walls across the country which will need to be repaired.
Students at the centre will be shown diagrams and will use different types of stone and then rip down walls and rebuild them.
Before building the wall they will sort the stone into size and shapes for the reconstruction – and will be shown how to construct a new wall, as well as how to repair existing ones.
Dr Love said: “The pandemic has affected a lot of jobs, people who’ve been on our courses before have gone on to start up their own businesses.
“The courses will probably be ideal for people between 20 and 30 years old who are perhaps looking to retrain.
“Before, younger generations might not have known about it through normal education unless they lived on a farm.
“But now there is a bit of demand. What we’re finding is there’s a lot of people looking to change direction in their lives and train with us.
“They are coming back into fashion as well because they are beautiful to look at.
“People like having them as a feature in their gardens.
“There’s thousands of kilometres of stone walls across the country and, over time, these will need to be repaired.
“Most dry stone walls in Scotland are in the north and west coast.
“One which is particularly well known is the Kingswells Dyke in Aberdeenshire.
“It was featured on TV before. It must be about 200-300 metres long.
“There’s also another example at Skara Brae, Orkney.
“It’s an impressive structure but it has deteriorated over the years.”
Training will begin at the centre next year once Covid restrictions have been lifted.
Dr Love added: “The idea to offer classes at the facility in Fife came about in 2019, but things have been put on hold with the pandemic.
“We were looking for a dedicated training centre, this facility has the space to offer courses all year round.
“All the materials you need for dry stone walling is largely provided by the environment.
“There’s no need to have additional materials provided – it’s a natural product.”
It’s like a mental jigsaw – you have to work out