The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain DSWA
The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) was established in 1968 as a registered charity, working to advance education in the craft of drystone walling and maintain it as heritage for public benefit. As a charity it is governed by a board of twelve elected Trustees, who are volunteers and elect a Chairman and Deputy Chairman, legal responsibilities lie with the Trustees.
Since its formation the DSWA has grown in to a national organisation recognised and respected for its work. It has two sub committees which are: The Craft Skills Group, responsible for training and certification activities and The Staffing Committee, looking at the staffing requirements of the Association. The national office is based in Cumbria and there are 18 regional branches spread throughout the UK.
The DSWA estimates that there are approximately 200,000 km of dry stonewalls in the UK, many of which are in poor condition and in need of repair.
For further information about dry stone walling and the work of the DSWA visit: https://www.dswa.org.uk
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Building with structural stone.
- Choosing stone.
- Caithness Broch Project.
- Conservation in the Highlands and Islands.
- Development of sustainable rural housing in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
- Dry stone walling.
- Development of sustainable rural housing in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
- Engaging communities in our Highlands and Islands.
- Finding stone to conserve historic buildings.
- IHBC articles.
- Lord Leverhulme on Lewis and Harris.
- Orkney gables.
- Macallan Distillery.
- Masonry.
- Modern Stonemasonry.
- Matthew Davidson stonemason and civil engineer.
- New architecture of Scotland’s west coast.
- Re-thatching a Hebridean blackhouse.
- Thatch.
- The architecture of the Isle of Man.
- The challenges and opportunities of conservation in the Highlands and Islands.
- The Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
- The Scots reed thatching tradition.
- Traditional construction materials on the Isle of Man.
- Traditional straw thatching in times of shortage.
- Types of stone.
- Vernacular architecture.
Featured articles and news
A case study and a warning to would-be developers
Creating four dwellings for people to come home to... after half a century of doing this job, why, oh why, is it so difficult?
Reform of the fire engineering profession
Fire Engineers Advisory Panel: Authoritative Statement, reactions and next steps.
Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster
A complex project of cultural significance from full decant to EMI, opportunities and a potential a way forward.
Apprenticeships and the responsibility we share
Perspectives from the CIOB President as National Apprentice Week comes to a close.
The first line of defence against rain, wind and snow.
Building Safety recap January, 2026
What we missed at the end of last year, and at the start of this...
National Apprenticeship Week 2026, 9-15 Feb
Shining a light on the positive impacts for businesses, their apprentices and the wider economy alike.
Applications and benefits of acoustic flooring
From commercial to retail.
From solid to sprung and ribbed to raised.
Strengthening industry collaboration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Institute of Construction and The Chartered Institute of Building sign Memorandum of Understanding.
A detailed description from the experts at Cornish Lime.
IHBC planning for growth with corporate plan development
Grow with the Institute by volunteering and CP25 consultation.
Connecting ambition and action for designers and specifiers.
Electrical skills gap deepens as apprenticeship starts fall despite surging demand says ECA.
Built environment bodies deepen joint action on EDI
B.E.Inclusive initiative agree next phase of joint equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan.
Recognising culture as key to sustainable economic growth
Creative UK Provocation paper: Culture as Growth Infrastructure.
Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London Unite
Creating the UK’s Built Environment Super Event and over 25 other key partnerships.
Welsh and Scottish 2026 elections
Manifestos for the built environment for upcoming same May day elections.
Advancing BIM education with a competency framework
“We don’t need people who can just draw in 3D. We need people who can think in data.”