Thousands of creative workshops across the UK
Duration: One Day
Price: £65
Run by:
John Holt
at
London School of Dry Stone Walling
About the Course
One-day dry stone walling course.
A unique opportunity to take part in constructing a 2m high, Permanant Dry Stone Boundary wall, in the heart of the Bedfordshire countryside. Probably the tallest DSW structure in the region !!
These workshops are a 'hands on' experience to the introduction or improvement for DIY and interested persons of all ages over 16yrs. You will assess the ground and setting out of building pins, batter frames and lines. You will stack out material in the appropriate manner and commence building. You will position foundation stones and build upto the first lift and placing through stones. You will continue building second lift and have an over view of placing top stones.
During the construction, you will learn the heritage and craft overview, geological and engineering terms and descripton of stones used. You will receive, and discuss, an overview into the construction of various wall features and finishes. You will learn fundamentals of building a retaining wall, raised flowerbeds, squeeze stile and Cheek End -- if time allows.
The instructor/trainers are experienced wallers and certificated by the Dry Stone Walling Association.
At the end of the day you will - be able to safely and confidently set out and construct a dry stone wall or basic feature - understand DSW heritage and terminology used - distinguish various stone materials and their uses.
If booking with a CraftCourses voucher for part or all of the course fee, please fill in the contact form above or telephone us. Your voucher code must be provided at the point of booking.
What's included in the price?
All materials, tools and equipment are provided along with personal protective equipment for example - gloves, goggles, kneeling pads, where required and first aid. Excellent welfare and personal facilites requirements. Essential to bring your own packed lunch, stout, robust footwear, preferbly safety boots and old protective over clothing which may become dirty or marked and suitable for the possible weather conditions.
On conclusion of the workshop, each participant is provided with a range of excellent informative handouts, brochures and a 'Certificate of Acheivement'.
These one day workshops are run the second Saturday in the month throughout the year.
John's dry stone walling course is an active participation in learning the basic skills of wall construction. I thoroughly enjoyed the course but more importantly took away the necessary skills and appreciation for the wonderful works of stone that most of us just walk past. John is a fountain of knowledge on all matters of stone and patiently answered all my questions. I am looking forward to another course taught by him.
Peter Gorra - - #17391
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Peter - Thankyou for your positive feedback, we covered a lot of ground over dsw chitter chatter. You will surely make a good impression with your homestead walls !!The trainer,John Holt, emailed sheets before the course giving basic guidance on good and bad practice in Dry Stone Walling which was helpful preparation. He also sent good instructions on location etc.
The course was very 'hands-on' which was ideal for such a practical subject. John gave us a brief talk on what we needed to do and then watched us doing it giving us tips and helping where necessary. We worked in two teams, one on the base of the wall we were building and the other on the higher level, switching over after lunch so that we all experienced both.
We were given instruction in how to lay out the strings to keep the wall straight and the courses of stone even, plus the dimensions required to make the batter frame.
A really good, informative and enjoyable day.
Neil Foster - - #16354
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Neil - Thank you for your feedback comments. I am pleased you found the workshop content helpful. During the day, i saw how you and the group developed, choosing, juggling with stone, then a chip here and there and finding a place for it on the wall. Particularly pleased that you benefited from swapping round different places on the wall and developed your own techniques in shapeing the stone. I am sure your experience and interest will enhance further, as you begin to notice more and more DSW during your travels. Best Wishes, JohnReally enjoyed this course as I had seen a few things on TV about dry stone walls and there importance.
John was excellent at demonstrating the batters, ratio of wall depths and thicknesses in proportion to the height. Had a great time chipping the stones, introducing the shims and the through and through stones to give rigidity. I would like to do more of this and hopefully will get an opportunity soon.
I feel confident in placing the foundation stones to the best advantage and following the lines of the batter to make a complete wall. A friend has bought a farm house in wales with lots of walls that need fixing so this will come in useful.
Many thanks
Tim Aitken
Tim Aitken - - #16340
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Thank you for your feedback Tim. I am pleased you recalled some of the terms used and do hope you will be able to continue the practice of DSW in Wales - that's just great news. Don't rush it !! Take care and I wish you well for the future - JohnWho'd have thought it, I'm a Waller! I won't say it wasn't tiring work but I found it very satisfying assessing the right stone for the right place and seeing the wall grow strong and sound to the required shape and size. What a sense of achievement to build something beautiful that could stand for hundreds of years
A huge thank you to John for his careful tutelage. What a gent.
Hilary - - #16174
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Hillary- many thanks for your feedback, i am pleased you discovered a new calling! Your quiet determination and steady, thoughtful choice and juggling the stone was an inspiration.Very enjoyable .The information ,history and Johns easy going approach struck exactly the
right balance and by the end I had learnt a lot .Thankyou
Peter Buchanan - - #15913
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Peter - thank you for your feedback. I hope you are able to use the information while building your flower bed retaining wall.Fantastic course. Found the information about the snare holes and basking stones especially interesting. Thanks for a great time!
Matthew Strangwick - - #15401
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Matthew,Clear, practical and friendly. Pleasing to have contributed to an enduring project rather than a sample wall that would be dismantled.
Marc Jordan - - #15130
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Hello Marc – Thank you for your feedback. I valued your input and your contribution will stay put, that was no sample !! As you said at the time, the workshop experience sheds more insight and understanding into the skill and craft heritage of previous generations.If you have some building experience/general DIY skills/are good with your hands then you'll do well, if not you may struggle through no fault of the course, not as difficult as you'd imagine for handy people and John was a good teacher. This is the kind of skill you need to practice to excel at but it's amazing after little tuition (more general tips & pointers) you can build a section of wall that's not too different to the sections already built (to the untrained eye at least). You can well imagine with experience you'd develop your own style & flair.
This is a beautiful countryside skill that's far kinder to nature & durable (with deliberate considerations to birds, butterflies and other insects. The downside to drystone walls is that for many it would prohibitively expensive even if you consider your own time to be free but again this no criticism of the course or teacher. If you could go on to make a living from this then that would be a truly wonderful way to live (fresh air, working with a natural material, physical exercise) and one could well imagine there are people with enough money who'd be willing to pay for such a beautiful architectural feature.
Jim - - #12354
Response from London School of Dry Stone Walling:
Thank you for your detailed feed back Jim. It was a great day. I hope you would be able to use the workshop experience in future projects you may undertake and wish you well for the future.As a Landscape Gardener, I have knowledge of bonding brickwork and the principles behind strength in walls, foundations etc. The knowledge that John has can only be achieved through years of experience and thats what i was after from the day. All the little tips and tricks that real, traditional craftsmen possess are priceless. John is a genuine, friendly gent whose passion for the craft is evident in his teaching. Cracking day with my Dad for a bit of Father/ Son bonding.
Thanks John!
Shay Lindsay - - #11806
I had an excellent day along with my son. Having been involved within construction in different roles for many years it had always been an ambition of mine to learn the art of DSW. I wasn't disappointed.
I found John to be a very enthusiastic ,most knowledgeable instructor, who obviously gets great satisfaction in passing on his extensive knowledge to others, with his directing and instructing at different stages of construction .
Thank you John we had such a good day.
Jim & Shay
jim Lindsay - - #11617
I had a great day, great company, great instruction . John was excellent and very informative. Gave everyone in the group equal time and answered every question asked. I feel that, with the instruction given, I could quite confidently build my own wall. I would recommend this course to anyone that wants to spend a day in the fresh air, away from computers and phones and learn something new.
Thanks.
Andy Stevens - - #11100
Huge thanks to John and Mike for providing a fabulous day of learning and laughter! We were a small group of four which proved ideal for group and individual coaching in the challenging art of dry stone walking. John is patient, encouraging and with a dry sense of humour. We really felt that we'd accomplished something pretty special by the end of our day which incidentally flew by. As the homework suggests, it looks simple but isn't! Johns ability to eyeball a stone and with a deft hammer blow make it fit seamlessly into place is a joy to behold. My family booked this for a Fathers Day present; A great gift with happy memories!
Russell Green provisional dry stone waller!
Russell Green - - #11037
John's passion for dry stone walling is infectious and I found him to be a patient and effective teacher. I feel confident that this course has given me a strong foundation to begin my own wall and learn more as I go.
Callum - - #9833
A very enjoyable course and John is an excellent tutor. Very informative, everything was explained and the practical aspect means there are no excuses when it comes to building my first wall.
Murray - - #9704
A very satisfying day that has Inspired me to build my own dry stone wall.
John balanced gentle guidance with huge enthusiasm. A lot of practical advice and encouragement. I left exhausted but with a great sense of achievement.
Malcolm Allison - - #9354
A very enjoyable experience. John Holt runs the day in a relaxed manner and imparts a surprising amount of knowledge as you learn by doing. John is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and gets the right balance between letting you get on with it and intervening when necessary. You end up having actually built some wall. which is very satisfying.
Philip Hall - - #9015
really good course and learnt a lot and enjoyed it. The only improvement is maybe better joing instructions e.g. bring drinks and food. I asked so I knew to bring those but some simple instructions would avoid any mistakes.
david Hennings - - #8634
I felt inspired to just want to start building some dry stone wall. I would even go as far as saying I would be up for the possibility of becoming a dry stone wall craft worker if I change from gardening. John was easy going, very knowledgeable and I felt I didn't want to stop. Great day! Thank you
adam carveth - - #8615
This craft course provider has been awarded Platinum status for receiving 50 or more 5 star ratings from previous students.
The Students' Choice award ensures that course providers get recognised for their efforts in the teaching and practice of UK craft.
They also allow tutors to gain valuable feedback on their courses and for new students to find the course that's right for them.
