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project. retaining garden wall

date. Spring 2020

location. Todmorden, Yorkshire

specification. Dry stone walls are a garden design classic, so beautiful they look good even when photographed in black and white. Looking at the amount of RHS medals they've won in show gardens recently, they're not going out of fashion any time soon. But they're not just a pretty – they're smart too. Their cleverness lies in their simplicity. Free of mortar they allow plants to grow, homes for wildlife, encouraging mosses, lichens, birds, toads, newts and slowworms to set up home.

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This project was completed in a few days. My job was to simply, clear, take down and rebuild it. There is no mortar and the structure is made strong and stable with nothing but the careful placement of stones. Now completed it compliments the garden and prevents any further collapse.