Repairing a 40m stone wall in Church Stretton, Shropshire

Not every job is a church or a country house. This one was a roadside stone wall in Church Stretton, Shropshire, over 40 metres long, for a client we have worked for several times before, and it’s one we’re really proud of.

The problem

The old wall had collapsed in a few places, its pointing had worn away and much of its coping had come loose. Like many old walls, it had very little way of letting water out from behind it. Over the years, water building up in the bank pushes on the back of a wall, and bit by bit it starts to move, bulge and finally fall.

The work

Not all of the wall needed taking down. We rebuilt the sections that had failed, around 15 square metres in all, and repaired the rest of the wall where it stood.

• Collapsed sections rebuilt. Around 15 square metres taken down and rebuilt bit by bit, with every stone shaped with hammer and chisel so it sits tight in the wall: chipping away at a boulder until it drops perfectly into place.
• The rest repointed. The remaining length of the wall was repointed to keep the weather out and hold it together.
• Cock and hen coping relaid. The traditional coping, stones set on edge alternating tall and short, was relaid along the top to shed the rain and protect the wall below.
• Extra drainage holes. We added drainage holes so water can escape from behind instead of pushing the wall over again.

A lot of the work happened through the heat of last summer, a full day on site every day until it was done.

What the client said

“We've used Alex now for a few jobs, but his last was the most impressive. The wall in question is over 40m in length, and had collapsed in a few places. It was amazing to see the wall coming down and being rebuilt bit by bit. He added new drainage holes which the old wall didn't have, and straightened the whole wall. It's an incredible skill to watch him chip away at a boulder to then fit it perfectly in place. His workmanship is excellent, and works non stop, even through the heat of last summer. I would highly recommend Alex, polite & respectful, and a pleasure to know.”

Nick Thompson, Google review ★★★★★

Thank you, Nick, for having us back again.