Britain’s dry-stone walls are in trouble. It is estimated that there are approximately 200,000 km of dry-stone walls in the UK but only a small percentage of these are in good condition, with many in an advanced stage of decay or dereliction.
Dry stone walls have been part of the landscape of this country for thousands of years. The Dry-Stone Walling Association (DSWA), with its headquarters in Cumbria, is the country’s only organisation dedicated to protecting this rich history. It is committed to raising awareness of the importance of our dry-stone walls and their heritage with the general public, landowners and the government. The Association, both nationally and through its network of local branches, runs numerous training courses throughout the year. This ensures the skills required to maintain and build new walls are passed down to the next generation of dry stone wallers.
A 200 year old family connection
Burlington Stone’s founder, Lord Burlington, was the great, great grandfather of current DSWA president Lord Cavendish of Furness. We supply Burlington slate for use in the DSWA’s onsite training programmes based at the Westmorland County Showground and as a core material in dry stone walls all over the countryside. Kate Dymock, Training & Education Co-ordinator at the Association describes how Kirkby Moor slate is used in dry stone wall building.
“Kirkby Moor Slate is used extensively in the construction of dry-stone walls, both in Cumbria and further afield. Its naturally flat bedded characteristics lends itself to wall construction with a varied selection of sizes and plenty of long stones from which to make through-stones and copings – both essential elements when constructing a solid and strong dry-stone wall.
The DSWA is very grateful to Burlington Stone for supplying us with Kirkby Moor Slate with which to develop our national training site at Crooklands. It is fair to say that without the help of Burlington Stone, our training programmes in the craft would not be as successful as they are. We are very proud to be in partnership with Burlington Stone and their slate is as much an iconic part of the Cumbrian landscape as the dry-stone walls that populate it.“
Our commitment to the landscape
UK Sales Director of Burlington Stone Ian Ramsay believes that Cumbrian slate, which takes more than 450 million years to form, is one of the county’s most important natural assets and its enduring success in construction is down to its versatility. “Our Kirkby Moor and Westmorland slates are beautiful, long-lasting, durable and sustainable. There are church roofs in Cumbria where the Westmorland roof slates are more 200 years old and still fit for purpose. That’s why it’s such a sustainable building and landscaping material, whether in a dry-stone wall in Langdale or a statement floor in London. We’re committed to supporting the DSWA in preserving our natural landscape.”