Book: Dry Stone Walling Chapter: 2 Dry stone walls and conservation Section: The loss of walls and banks Metadata: Details Buy this book

Walls are left derelict or pulled down for many of the same reasons that have contributed to the demise of hedgerows. These include the mechanisation of agriculture, the decline of the rural work force and rising wages. Farming patterns have changed, so that many fields once under permanent pasture have been cultivated. Many walls are no longer required for stock control, and even where they are needed for this purpose, can be replaced more cheaply by fences. Other walls have been lost to urban development and other non-agricultural uses. It's estimated that 4,500 miles (7,000km) of walls disappeared between 1947 and 1985.

It is the farmer who has the greatest burden of wall maintenance, but local authorities also have responsibility for many roadside walls.

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