Milnathort Recessed arch and seating area

After enjoying the challenge of building the moongate in the summer, I was pleased to be offered the chance to build another arched feature in the autumn – this time for this dry stone seating area.

The original plan had been to create a sitting area by removing a chunk of the sloping garden and building a curved retaining wall with some steps. However, the client had seen the moongate job and was keen on making something similar on her wall. I suggested a dry stone arched recess. So we worked on a design to make a feature of the shallow, curved arch. The arch measure 1.6m wide and 0.8m. Unfortunately, the total height of the retaining wall was not tall enough to allow a seat to be built under the arch, which would have been very cool!

Having completed this job, I have decided that I really like building arches! It was a challenge making the curved face but it was a very enjoyable moment when I removed the former and saw that the stone work was still standing!

The paving was done by Steven Rowe of SR Landscaping.

You can see more examples of dry stone seating works on the projects page.