The Stone Walls and Structures of England and New England

Stone Artisan Andrew Pighills Presents The Stone Walls and Structures of England and New England

Here in New England there is a unique historical record in the drystone walls and structures that is available to all by simply driving down most roads, or walking through the woods.

Andrew Pighill’s illustrated lecture on Tuesday, October 18th at 7 p.m. at the Essex Library will compare and contrast geology, building styles and techniques, and follow the development and evolution of stone walls and structures in England and New England from colonial times to the present day, and explain how they fit into the garden and wider landscape past and present. In his words, “the more I can make their history a part of our lives, the better chance there is of preserving this wonderful heritage for future generations.”

Born in Yorkshire, England, Andrew Pighills is an accomplished stone artisan, gardener and horticulturist. He received his formal horticulture training with The Royal Horticultural Society and has spent more than 40 years creating gardens and building dry stone walls in his native England. Today, Andrew is one of a small, but dedicated group of US-based, certified, professional members of The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. Having moved to the United States over a decade ago, he continues this venerable craft here in the US, building dry stone walls, stone structures and creating gardens throughout New England and beyond.

Andrew’s commitment to preserving the integrity and endurance of this traditional building art has earned him a devoted list of private and public clients here and abroad including the English National Trust, the English National Parks, and the Duke of Devonshire estates. His stone work has been featured on British and American television, in Charles McCraven’s book The Stone Primer, and Jeffrey Matz’s Midcentury Houses Today, A study of residential modernism in New Canaan Connecticut. He has featured in the N Y Times, on Martha Stewart Living radio, and in the Graham Deneen  film short  “Dry Stone”, as well as various media outlets both here and in the UK, including an article in the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Yankee Magazine.

This program is free and open to all. For more information or to register, please call the Library at (860) 767-1560. The Essex Library is located at 33 West Ave. in Essex.