Over at the Geograph site, I have contributed 393 images in which the principal subject is tagged as "wall" or "walls". Mostly, the walls in question are drystone walls which are an integral feature of upland landscapes in England and Wales.
Historically, wherever stones were easily available, our forbears would build walls - rather than planting hedges. The walls were to delineate ownership and to enclose animals or crops. It is estimated that there are over 170,000 miles of drystone wall in Britain - enough to circle the globe seven times over.
I am a sucker for these walls. Many are hundreds of years old and if you pause to look closely at them you find a certain rustic beauty. I suspect that the wall builders of yore never imagined for one minute that they were producing a kind of accidental art that would endure through the centuries as testament to their hard labour and craftsmanship.
On YouTube a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the ramblings of a young Yorkshireman called Jack Roscoe. His vlogging name is "Northern Introvert". He is a very pleasant guide to follow on his various jaunts. His most recent video sees him learning about drystone walling from a group of enthusiasts who are busy repairing a couple of walls on a North Yorkshire farm.
The video is over 23 minutes long so you might not have time to watch it all. Mind you, I suspect there will be some visitors who are already thinking, "A video about building drystone walls? I would rather watch grass growing!" Each to their own.
I love rustic and these walls are amazing. I admire the craftsmanship involved to create such lasting beauty. It also reminds me of my forebears and how hard they worked the land.
ReplyDeleteGreat that someone is taking responsibility for the up keep of walls. as we say about many things. they don't make them anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe video was interesting. If I hadn't seen it, I would have assumed that they made bored children build the wall. It would be a good way to keep them busy. The walls are beautiful and obviously Yorkshire has a lot of stone.
ReplyDeleteThey really are works of art.
ReplyDeleteIn the Smithsonian publication I just received today, there is a whole section on dry stone walls, featuring delightful pictures of those in Wales and Scotland as well as other places around the world. I learned Scotland's walls date back 4,000 years. There are Mayan ones in Belize built in the 8th and 9th century, and some in Zimbabwe built in the13th and 14th century.
ReplyDeleteI don't have time for the video but I do REALLY LOVE Britain's dry stone walls. If I had property I'd have a few of those myself to mark out fields for growing different things, fruit orchard, vegetables, playground for kids.
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for drystone walls, too. Your photos are beautiful, and I am wondering now whether I should make walls the theme for my next calendar.
ReplyDeleteI know you are not a fan of crime mysteries in book or film, but there is a character in a series set in Yorkshire (Inspector Banks, I think) who has a drystone wall in his garden and uses drystone walling as a kind of meditative activity, both to wind down after a difficult day and to let his mind explore the current case at its own pace.