The first Northumberland Dry Stone Wall Festival

Date: 
Friday, October 8, 2004 to Sunday, October 10, 2004
Location: 
Port Hope Ontario
Type: 
Festival
Status: 
Completed
 
 Springdale Bridge built during the first Dry Stone Wall Festival in Canada
 
Springdale Bridge built during the first Dry Stone Wall Festival in Canada
 
 
 
 
We were quite delighted to meet so many interested people at the Dry Stone Wall Festival in Port Hope last weekend. At the Hill and Dale B&B property off Pine Street there was a lot of activity with all the chisels and hammers going. And the sounds of the church bells in the distance, made it feel like a scene out of the past. It was great to see people enjoying the beautiful Scottish dry stone bridge being built before their eyes, right in downtown Port Hope. 
 
 
 
 
There was quite a celebration on Monday afternoon when the wooden form was taken away and the many onlookers streamed over the newly completed bridge to conclude the festivities with a wee dram of scotch. We were gratified to meet so many people over the three days who had such an enthusiastic appreciation for the dry stone method of construction, which uses stone structurally instead of depending on cement or concrete.
 
 
DSWA of UK instructor Dave Goulder with his workshop students
 
DSWA of UK instructor Dave Goulder with his workshop students
 
Meanwhile in another part of Port Hope Canada, festival activities included dry stone walling workshops being run by the DSWAC with DSWA of UK instructor Dave Goulder.
 
The workshop wall nearly completed 6 hour later.
 
The workshop wall nearly completed 6 hour later. 


Completed Wall

 

Completed Festival Workshop Wall 

 

 

Thanks to all the people who helped make the festival a fabulous success, especially at the dry stone wall seminar held on Saturday and the DSWA testing on Sunday. Steve Fraser got his beginners
 
 
 
 and Matthew Ring earned his intermediate certification. Congratulations guys. Thanks to Master Craftsmen Norman Haddow and Dave Goulder who came here from Scotland to help out. Thanks too to the Klintworths and the Hendersons. We are looking forward to seeing something even better at next year's Port Hope Dry Stone Festival. 
 
 
 

Despite rain, fewer numbers and all the TVO filming interruptions we finished another significant section of wall the Oct 16 weekend after DSWAC Thanksgiving Walling Festival.