Stone Walls

I have a love of stone walls. Not the new ones you see built today mostly in new neigborhoods to keep the sound of traffic at bay... I mean OLD MOSSY stone walls. Walls that have been around for hundreds and in some cases.. thousands of years.

Unfortunately we don't have an old stone wall here at the farm.

But we do have old stones.

I've been working with stones lately putting in edging. Not the store bought stones you see at the

big home improvement stores...old stones that have come from old homes and farms.

Some of the stones were about 30 inches long 12 inches deep and wide and according to Mr Fixit weighed around 150-160lbs. Those ones HE lifted into place!

I can't imagine lifting stones like that high on a wall and then having to move them around to fit just right.

You have to admire a stone wall...especially the ones built long long ago. Nowadays the stones are cut

by machines but back then they only had chisels or other rocks to break them to the size and shape needed.

Hadrian's Wall

Photo by Murdo Macleod

Hadrians Wall is one of those old walls.

It was built by the Romans in the north of England near the border with Scotland around AD 122

and runs from the east to the west coast for 73 1/2 English miles.

The wall was to be 10 feet wide by 15-20 feet tall starting in the east

but got smaller as it went further west. It took around 6 years to complete.

My Grandmother was born near Newcastle Upon Tyne not far from the wall.

I have a stone from that wall.

(Now it is a World Heritage Site and I would imagine taking stones would be frowned upon!)

It's not a very large stone but you can see that it is old and for nearly 2,000 years it was part of that wall.

My Ancient Stone From The Wall

 

Maybe one day we'll make a stone wall and if we do a good job hopefully someone many years from now will admire it and appreciate the effort it took to make it.

Do  you have a stone wall?