"In Orkney a Planticru is a round structure near the shore for growing kale."
Or so I have said in an explanation about the title of this blog. Maybe I should have been less specific about the shape and more about the structure.
I came across some old photos of planticrus from our Orkney archive recently. This one is triangular...
And this one is rectangular. Not a round one in sight.
I'm still searching for a photo of a round one.... I know I've seen one in Orkney... somewhere...somewhere...
Due to a general lack of trees the way to go in Orkney (pre-imports anyway) was to build out of stone. Doing this without mortar and able to withstand the gale force winds is a real art form. The other useful characteristic of dykes especially in windy places is that the force of the wind is filtered through the dyke. With no mortar it allows some wind through but takes away some of the force.
These two walls were built by Kevin in Orkney. He also built a wavy dyke for us which alas I don't have any photos of. You can see the mix of stones cleverly fitted together. Some dykers chip bits of the stone to make them fit but that doesn't seem quite such an impressive technique to me.
This photo shows the meeting of the two dykes. If they had been both built at the same time there would have been through stones to connect the two walls and strengthen them. As it is the two just butt up against each other.
The round structure on the left was built by P. It has a seat running round the inside and a small window to admire the view. It was a great place to shelter form the wind. The dark slate piece was made by an artist friend. It was designed for water to trickle down the slate.
The dykes round the chicken sheds were built by Kevin, Master dyker and are the wavy ones mentioned earlier.
The pattern on the floor of the circular structure with the built-in seat and the window to spy the post van approaching.
My one dyke claim to fame is this "peedie" ie small one in the foreground. It was all my own work although we later removed it to make a bigger border...
I have always like the dry stacked walls. And I greatly appreciate the art and skill required to build these beautiful structures. Your photos demonstrate how perfectly each stone is set...wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, Michelle that dry stane dyking is an art form. And it seems to vary so much depending on the type of stone available. People must have used what was available.
DeleteVery cool photos. I love dry-stacked stone and the way it looks. Those are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the walls,Jen.
DeleteThese walls are all works of art - absolutely fascinating and beautiful to look at - thanks for showing us! What a shame your wall had to be moved; it sounds as if it was a labour of love!
ReplyDeleteCaro, my wee bit of wall was more a labour of frustration than love...
DeleteArt indeed...I just love stone walls...yours are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteShame I had to leave them behind when we moved...especially the Andy Goldsworthy type structure built by our artist friend.
DeleteBack when Vermont was a big sheep-raising state, it had a tradition for dry-stone walls. I wonder how many of the builders were immigrants from Scotland. I love the round wall with the seat and the floor pattern. You don't seem to have had a shortage of stone in Orkney...
ReplyDeleteThey also built these kind of walls in Ireland and the north of England. The round wall was built with much care and attention by P. he's pleased you appreciate his workmanship, Stacy. I seem to remember it took some time to build... and Orkney is a very stoney place. Stone was excavated from small local quarries and used to build the dwellings as well as the walls. Not a lot of wood around...
DeleteWhat wonderful pictures of the walls. It really takes an eye to do such a wonderful job as he does. I love the different sizes of stones put all together. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a bit like doing a jigsaw, Lona and a lot more stone is needed than used.
DeleteI don't even know where to begin on the beauty of this work. Really, really stunning!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the walls, Kevin. I thought I might be a bit of an anorak...
DeleteDry stone walls certainly are a work of art, such wonderful patterns created by the stones while creating much needed shelter and field markers. Love the walls at your old house and like the idea of you lying in wait for the postie!
ReplyDeleteI used to be very put out if there wasn't any mail for us...
DeleteThese walls are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to be able to see the fantastic walls!
ReplyDeleteI love those kind of rock taste! It's amazing to hear that they were built without mortar.
Thank you for sharing!
And the botanical name of the flower I posted in the previous post is "barrenwort."
Check it out on the internet!
It's considered a bit of a cheat to use mortar in these kind of walls, Kelty. And it does filter the winds to have some gaps between stones.
DeleteThanks for the id of the flower.
I've never seen structures like that before. I presume kale because its the only vegetable that can survive the harsh conditions ?
ReplyDeleteJust about Bag, along with a few cabbages and maybe some potatoes.
DeleteLoving those dry stone walls, stunning. If I had the right garden I would love them in it as feature. They remind me of Andy Goldsworthy's sculptures.
ReplyDeleteI'm a great fan of Andy Goldsworthy's work. He has used dykes in much of his installation artwork but I think he employed a professional dyker to build them.
DeleteThere is something so 'right' about dry-stone walls in certain landscapes. I see them snaking up incredibly steep inclines in Cumbria and just wonder at the skill of the men who made them … and still maintain them. I've seen ancient towers (brochs?) on the west coast of Scotland built in the same way. Lovely. D
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that fences are being used increasingly in these landscapes but I suppose it's not so labour intensive and there are EU grants. Hopefully there are enough people to pass on the skills.
DeleteCan appreciate the wind break cosiness of these structures especially the round one with the window. Such beauty in the stones and art in the construction. Am impressed with your 'peedie', Janet
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind Laura. I don't think I would have pointed it out to any of the local Dykers for comments!
DeleteThey look absolutely fantastic, I just love dry stone walls! I've never though of them as protection from wind, here in Italy they use dry stone walls to create terraces from slopes.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how dry stone walls are used in different ways around the world. I saw them used as terraces in Peru also.
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