Drystone Retaining Wall Rebuild, Comrie, Perthshire

Our latest project was to rebuild an old, failing retaining wall in a beautiful, secluded garden.
To start, we stripped out the original wall, (some unexpected April sun made that a far more pleasurable endeavor), and we made sure to conserve the stone we removed to reuse in the new structure.

For this project, we used ‘Swinton Rubble’, a rough but sturdy form of sandstone, and we made sure (at our client’s request) to follow the natural line of the earth bank as we built.

A black and white photograph of a partially built chunky drystone wall made of sandstone. There are metal bars with string attached at each end of the wall and stone is on the ground around it. Built by The Drystone Company Perthshire.

We also included a large boulder from the original wall as a feature, and so the new wall also traverses the curves of this stone. We recycled most of the original stone into the new wall, either as building stone or as hearting, and topped the finished retaining wall with a layer of thick soil which will fill in with grass and plants over time.

A photograph of a drystone retaining wall. The rest of the image is shadowy but the light falls directly on the drystone wall. On the left side is a green shed and around the wall is bare mud. Built by The Drystone Company Perthshire.

One of the best parts of working outside is the many interactions with nature, and this job was a perfect example of this. As well as stunning views over the Perthshire countryside, we had visits from birds of prey, deer and squirrels. Whilst dismantling the original structure we were lucky enough to find, three slow worms, a frog and a small Common Lizard.

A stone wall and wooden gate in the foregrouns lead on to trees and mountains in the distance at Dunira Perthshire.
A chunky drystone retaining wall made of sandstone. Behind it are trees and in the distance a pile of stone. Built by The Drystone Company Perthshire.
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New Build Drystone Wall, St Fillans, Perthshire

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Planticru-inspired Drystone Planter for Tomnah'a Market Garden in Comrie, Perthshire