Turns out building dry stone walls is difficult

Summary by Krater

Tom Scott visits the Drystone Academy in rural Oxfordshire to learn how to build a traditional English drystone wall from Dave and Dr Becky, exploring five key rules and testing their techniques.

From the video

Answers: How do you build a traditional drystone wall?

• Drystone walling
• Traditional stonemasonry
• Wall construction techniques
• Stone placement and pinning

What it concludes

• Drystone walling relies entirely on friction, gravity, and tightly packed stones without the use of mortar or artificial adhesives.
• Every big stone must be locked in place with at least one small stone, known as a pin or wretch, that is not visible from the outside.
• Connecting stones should link both sides of the wall and runners should span longer lateral distances to prevent tipping.
• Sides of the wall must be angled inward rather than vertical to improve long-term structural stability and prevent falling.
• Drystone walling is a slow and careful process where packing every joint properly takes more time than stacking.