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WALLS AND FENCES
Although the main use of fissile stone is for roofing and flooring, its flaggy nature also makes it good for field boundaries or fences.
Caithness slate fence
Cotswold fence
Welsh slate fence
Rochdale
Caithness
Cotswolds
Gwynedd
Cumbria
There are many areas where these fences are used. The Drystone Walling Association have published information about them here and here and the Rochdale Civic Society have published an excellent survey of flagstone and vaccary walls in Rochdale and Wardle.
Vaccary (Latin vaccaria from vacca, a cow) walls are made with large flattish slabs, usually much thicker than flag fences. They enclosed large pastures for breeding cattle or oxen. They are most common in the Pennines especially in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Flaggy walling stone seems to have been used in a special way for habour walls. Presumably the vertical arrangement makes the flags less likely to be lifted by storm waves and allows water to drain out more easily. The pictures of Castletown harbour in Caithness are a good example and there are others at Easdale Island in Scotland and in the Isle of Man.
Castletown harbour
Castletown harbour
Easdale Island harbour Scotland
Vertical laying isn't always the case though. At Port Dinorwic in North Wales waste from roofing slates has been laid horizontally for the walls at the harbour entrance.
Port Dinorwic harbour
Port Dinorwic Gwynedd
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