Big stones!

Sheepfold Number 3
Potts Gill Fold, near Hesket Newmarket, Caldbeck

When Andy Goldsworthy went to see this fold with a view to rebuilding it, he came across a small pile of large stones nearby. He had an interest in corner and foundation stones of a building, feeling they have a structural and conceptual significance. Sometimes, it is true, they are the only ones left when a wall is taken down.

He was fascinated by the way that a single large stone had been used, for no obvious reason, as a base of a wall in a nearby farm building. It is still there and still looks oversized by contrast with the surrounding stonework.

So he decided to rebuild this fold with a large stone at each corner, using the largest of the stones from the nearby pile. In this picture you can see two of the big stones, one on an outside corner and one on the inside. This was a tricky fold to photograph, as it is built into the banking, but I think you can see here, from this angle, how skilfully this type of stone wall is built, using slabs and rounded stones to make a solid structure.

Other Sheepfolds

Melmerby Washfold, Melmerby

Deadman Gill Touchstone Fold, Brough