The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain is a charitable organisation formed 40 years ago to promote the craft of dry stone walling. The Derbyshire branch was established in 1982 and seeks to ensure that the best craftsmanship of the past is both preserved, and has a thriving future, by improving knowledge and understanding of this important part of Derbyshire's heritage. The Derbyshire branch also includes members in the neighbouring counties of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.

We run a comprehensive training programme of dry stone walling courses for members of the public with little or no experience to 'have a go' at dry stone walling. Training weekends run every month from April to November.

For our members, we organise practice weekends to improve skill levels through evaluation by a qualified instructor. Different sites are used to gain experience on the different stone types native to Derbyshire.

Our members regularly demonstrate the craft of walling at country shows throughout the region.

Click here for details of how to join the DSWA.

Click here for details of dry stone walling courses for beginners

Click here for details of practice weekends for members

Click here for details of dry stone walling demonstrations in 2009.

Meetings of the Derbyshire branch of the DSWA are held at 8pm on the third Monday of every month at the Charles Cotton Hotel in Hartington. The next meeting is on Monday the 20th of July.

Click here for the location of our monthly meetings.

Click here to download a brief history of dry stone walls in Derbyshire