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The Conservation Value of BoundaryWalls

Dry stone walling is a characteristic feature of thedistrict. Most of the dry stone walls in and aroundthe conservation areas would have been originallybuilt in the 18th century when much of the district'sprime farmland was enclosed. While dry stonewalling is a key feature of the district's rural andsemi-rural conservation areas, the more urban areasare typified by coursed stone boundary walls.

Traditional stone walls of any type are crucial as theydelineate streets, pavements and pathways and havea strong bearing on their character and feel, andtherefore the character and feel of the conservationarea as a whole. Most boundary walls are contemporarywith the houses behind them and can therefore reflectthe architectural style of the house and /or the statusof its original occupier. For example, a row of workers'cottages might have a simple, low coursed stoneboundary with roundedcopings; a terrace of middleclass Victorian houses may befronted by a low wall withashlar copings which wereoriginally topped by stylisediron railings; mill masters oftensurrounded their large villasand gardens with highboundary walls to protect theirprivacy.

The most crucial feature ofboundary walls is a consistent

appearance, as terraces often share a front boundarywall, or a street or lane will be lined on both sides bythe walls of various properties. This means that anyunsympathetically altered or demolished walls areparticularly prominent and can have a strong negativeimpact on the street scene.

In conservation areas, planningpermission is required to demolishor partially demolish any gate, wall,fence or railing which is a metre ormore in height and abuts a publichighway (including a public footpathor bridleway, waterway or publicopen space. Where a boundaryfeatures does not abut any of these,planning permission is only requiredif the boundary feature is two ormore metres in height.

The Maintenance and Repair ofTraditional Stone Boundary Walls -Best Practice

DO...

4 Follow the advice in Section 1e of this guideas to the repair of missing or damaged 'bricks' inmortared stone walls.

4 Follow the advice in Section 1e of this guideas to the re-pointing of mortared stone walls.

4 Follow the advice in Section 1e of this guideas to the cleaning of stone walls if they have beenpainted, rendered or vandalised.

4 Follow the advice in Section 1i of this guide ifyou are intending to reinstate iron railings to awall which traditionally had them.

4 Maintain the original height, extent andappearance of a stone boundary wall. Fewalterations will have a positive effect on the wall'sappearance and the property's value.

Gardens and BoundaryWalls

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4 Retain features such as stone gateposts andtraditional gates. These often relate to the architectureof the house and enhance the street scene.

4 Have repairs to dry stone walls carried out by anexperienced dry stone waller who has local examplesof their work. A well-constructed dry stone wall shouldstand for at least a few decades.

DO NOT...

6 Paint, render or stoneclean a boundary wall. Thiswould remove much of a wall's traditional characterand create unwanted contrasts with unaltered walls.

6 Raise the height of walls byattaching fencing to thecopings of the wall or by addingcourses of cast concreteblocks, bricks or artificial stone.All of these materials are alienas boundary features toconservation areas and willhave a negative impact on thecharacter and appearance ofthe area (particularly wherehouses are terraced) and candevalue a house.

6 Demolishboundary walls.They are ofimportance to thetraditional streetscene and overallcharacter of aconservation area.

6 Add mortar to a dry stone wall or rebuild a drystone wall in mortared courses. This will fundamentallyalter the character and appearance of the wall, maynot necessarily result in a sounder construction, andwill require more ongoing maintenance.

6 Allow repairs to dry stone walls to be carried outby a general builder or anyone else who is not atrained or experienced dry stone waller. Theconstruction of dry stone walls is a specialist job andwalls repaired by an unsuitable waller will not last aslong.

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The Construction or Reinstatement of Stone Boundary Walls - Best Practice

DO...

4 Use natural local stone of appropriatedimensions, either in mortared courses or as a drystone wall where appropriate.

4 Build walls which are of traditional dimensions,particularly the height, but the solid appearanceprovided by a traditional wall thickness is alsoimportant. If your house forms part of a group suchas a terrace, the new wall should match those ofthe neighbouring houses as closely as possible.

4 Incorporatetraditional style stonecopings, and, whereappropriate, stonegateposts.

4 Ensure that thewall is built by a drystone waller orbricklayer with

experience in working with local stone and canprovide local examples of their work.

4 Ensure that whoever is building the wall knowsexactly what end product you have in mind. Usedrawings with dimensions marked on if necessary.

DO NOT...

6 Use non-local stone,artificial stone, brick, orconcrete for new walls.These will contrast with thelocal stonework of thehouse and the surroundingstreet scene.

6 Use stone of non-traditionaldimensions. This will make the wallvisually different from other traditional walls, evenif local stone is used.

6 Lay the stone in irregular, snecked or other non-horizontal courses. Otherwise the wall will not looktraditional.

6 Ignore the context provided by the traditionalboundary walls of neighbouring houses.

6 Build walls without copingstones or with plantersset into the top course. As well as not being atraditional detail, the lack of coping means moisturecan get into the wall and cause it to decay.

6 Use non-traditional styles of copingstones.These will look out of place in the traditionalstreetscape and can even contrast with thetraditional appearance of the rest of the wall.

6 Hire labour if you are not confident that they willbuild the type of wall you want.

6 Simply leave it up to the builder to interpret whatis meant by a 'traditional' wall, otherwise you maybe disappointed with the end result.