Fun with Wall-Nuts

St James Church and part of the wall 

One thing that is very cool about this part of the country is the history.  This was one of the first areas in Canada to be settled and there are reminders of this sprinkled around the area.  One of these reminders is the occasional use of stone walls – typically around old churches but occasionally in other places as well. 

I have always found stone walls to be beautiful and the various ways these are put together are an interesting part of the local area history combining many practical aspects – what is it to be used for, what do the stones look like, how many are available, and for we in North America there is a component of the ancestry of the initial settlers of the area as folks tend to transport the methods of old to the new country.

I managed to locate a non-profit group interested in Dry Stone walling here in Ontario.  These folks are a mix of those passionate about stone walls and those interested for more practical reasons.  The passionate folks take vacations to participate in walling events around the world and do walling tours (yup – it’s a thing).  The more practical types might be involved top learn how to do a wall of their own or to expand a skill base in stone masonry. 

http://drystonecanada.com/

I had the opportunity to attend a walling workshop held near-ish (in Canadian terms) to us here in Eastern Ontario.  The site was an old church and the wall in question was the one fronting the church yard that was in disrepair and falling down in some places.  Apparently the repair and restoration of this wall is a multi year project tacking a certain length of the wall each year.  

The site was prepped well before we arrived with many stones laid out and sorted

The church is St. James Anglican church in Franktown, Ontario.  It is extremely old (for Canada) having opened in 1827 (making it over 190 years old).  It is one of the oldest Anglican churches in continuous use on Canada.  The workshop I attended spread over 2 days and taught dry stone walling, with an aim to make the wall better and sturdier than before while preserving the look and history of the wall itself.  There was even a very old photo showing the wall around the turn of the last century so various details such as the stone on the top were known to be original.  Original stones were used in all cases, but pieces would all end up in a different spot and with a different orientation. 

The process started with larger stones laid somewhat buried in the ground as a foundation.  (The leader had done all the measuring and mental work ahead of time – thank goodness).  The wall itself was 2 feet wide and about 4 feet high.  Getting the foundation stones down a bit helps with movement over the winter.  As well, sometime prior, the church folks had removed a couple of trees that had been growing close by.  These roots were the cause of at least some of the wall failure.

Wallers working on some of the lower layers

We learned about proportions and how each layer fits together.  Those of use taking the workshop got right involved after some instruction while others of the group who knew what they were doing were hard at it from the beginning.  None of it involved us helping someone who knew the ropes – we were expected to jump right in and build, though the seasoned hands did keep an eye on what we were doing.

I now know the correct proportions, (at least some) terminology, and how they go together.  I also know that 2 days of lifting rocks from 9-5 is incredibly hard work and will result in one being sore, dirty and smelly.  It is also an incredible experience to watch the wall, a thing of beauty, come together.  The other wallers were great – every one of them enthusiastic and sort of fit (for their ages anyway).  It does seem to be a hobby for older folks.  No one there under 40 I think, though we could have used them.

More than half way done - but unfortunately not to be finished over the weekend

All in all a cool experience.  I had been hopeful that I could translate what I learned to our place here on the lake as we do have a number of rocks available.  That might have been a tad optimistic but the experience was still stellar!