Whats the difference between brick walls and dry stone walls?
A brick wall is made from regular stacks of identically shaped blocks locked together with a kind of gritty adhesive called mortar. A dry-stone wall is much more natural: it’s little more than a vertical stack of stones laid together slowly and carefully so the stones lock together under their own weight. Brick walls need mortar to hold them up because they often reach high in the air (as part of a building, for example). Dry-stone walls, on the other hand, are used mainly for fencing in animals or marking out the edges of a garden, so they seldom need to go higher than 1-2 meters (3.5-7 ft). By choosing the stones carefully and packing them tightly together with very thoughtful design, you can make a really strong structure that’s completely self-supporting. Apart from looking great, it will provide excellent shelter for livestock and habitats for rock plants (such as mosses and lichens) and the insects they support.
