The Welsh equivilent to the Cornish hedge is the Clawdd (the plural is cloddiau -litterally "walls", though colloquially taken to be stone faced banks). These differ from the Cornish hedge largely in their batter and in the fact that the foundations are laid level. All the joints are covered or in the case of vertically laid stonework the next course of stones is set so that they drive down into the wedge left between the stones of the layer below. The core of subsoil or rubble and subsoil mix of the clawdd is topped with turf.
The base work uses the largest stones laid just below ground level.
This demonstration feature built near Montreal during our recent Festival of Stone was organized by Sean Adcock. When it was completed the clawdd was visited by a crowd of people led by a loud Scottish piper.
I've looked at cloddiau from both sides now.
Here the stones are being laid perpendicular and infilled with with soil.
The stones are laid touching stone on stone but 'shimmed' with soil. The structure allows vegetation to grow between all the upright stones in rows, so that stones bind tighter along the horizontal plane. Like the Irish Fedin wall built by students under the direction of Pat McAfee ( 2009 Rocktoberfest ), at our festival this year we were looking to demonstrate a very different structural type of vernacular stone construction. We shall be very interested to see how well this attractive style of rural building stands up to our cold winters.
Here Akira Inman is hiding behind the Clawdd pretending to be working.
Actually Akira Inman, Andre Lemieux, Danny Woodward, Matt Jones, Dan Pearl and Danny Woodward all helped in the creating of this beautiful clawdd.
Here is Sean Adcock with his head on the clawdd. Come on Sean, get Cirrus!
Hey you, get off of...
The end.
