Richard Staniforth – Professional Dry Stone Waller – full time

Continuously learning – gaining new experience on every job and with every stone…

A selection of comments from clients:

‘Looks amazing… well done’ (Stone supplier Stalbridge quarries – 2021)

‘Happy to provide a recommendation any time’ (Private client Robert – 2021)

‘Thank you for this. What a difference! That’s really impressive… We’re receiving very positive feedback’ (County Borough Council Mike – 2021)

‘Thank you, I’ve just arrived home to these stunning walls!’ (Private clients Zoe – 2021)

‘It’s been a delight’ (Private clients Jane and Ceri – 2020)

‘Thanks once again for the wonderful job.‘ (Private client Simon – 2020)

‘Richard’s work is professional, high quality and reliable.’
‘We were absolutely delighted with the work carried out by Richard.  He worked methodically and thoroughly and our garden was transformed.  The dry stone wall looks so much better than wood fencing or concrete walls.’ (Private clients Elisabeth &Roger)

‘Excellent work‘ (Farmer John)

‘meticulous… thanks so much for the quality of work that you did. We appreciate the fact that you did more than just the dry stone element’ (Private client Lynn)

‘a very high standard and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend his work. He gave us great advice throughout the project.’ (Private client Suzanne – 2020)

‘the stairs look incredible! I was honestly blown away when I came home last night. They already look as if they’ve always been there :-)’ (Private client Delyth – 2020)

Resume

• Professional Member Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA)
• LANTRA – DSWA Intermediate Certificate held
• Works solo – can be team player on larger contracts
• Public liability insured
• Flexible working within a fifty mile radius from Cardiff
• Qualified Intermediate required for dry stone walling instruction
• RIBA approved introduction to Lime in Building – Ty-Mawr, Brecon
• Working with conservation standard NHL Cardiff black mortar (Blaenafon)
• National Trust  – Restoring Dry Stone Walls in Dyrham Park (Volunteer Ranger)
• Advanced training – Clawdd course – Master waller Sean Adcock – Caernarfon 2021
• Glyncorrwg Ponds Co-operative shareholder
• Currently:
• Working across South East Wales and Cardiff
• As I work solo I have been able to continue building throughout the Covid pandemic, responsibly and socially distanced.
• Experience:
• High level training North Wales DSWA – Clawdd (Pembrokeshire/Cornish hedge building)
• Restoring deer proof walls for Margam Park & Neath Port Talbot County Borough council
• Extensive private drystone walling above Llandow
• Heritage restoration of walls in Dr William Price round house garden – Pontypridd
• Cwmogwr Forest walling conservation/restoration project 1919-2020
• Llandaff style front garden wall Llandaff, Cardiff
• Garden walling in a domestic setting – in Cardiff locations – Pontcanna/Canton – Roath – Splott/South Cardiff – Llanishen – Birchgrove – Llandaff 2020-2022
• Training – Renewing stockproof/roadside boundary walls above Newbridge, Caerphilly
• Volunteering – Ex-Afghanistan soldiers refuge Mynydd Islwyn, Blackwood, South Wales
• Training – Wall restoration, private driveway and garden in Ashover, Derbyshire
• Training – Feature stone walling on a new housing estate in the Peak District
• Training – Quarry boundary wall outside Burford in the Cotswolds
• Volunteer – training – Stepped garden walkway in private garden, Jersey
• For fun – Smoots – Cwmogwr Forest wall
• Teaching on Cotswold Way ASDAN CoPE project with excluded teenagers Winchcombe School – Cotswold Conservation Board
• Volunteering – National Trust NT Volunteer Ranger (Dry Stone Walling)

Also see Walling Gallery

Heritage has stone in our family Stani-forth originating from Stony-fordd (way) or Ston-ford (water crossing). My first job leaving school was in very different, construction – high-end house building!

I currently work in South East Wales and very locally in Cardiff building and restoring traditional stone walls in gardens across the city. This can be dry stone work or restoration using traditional lime mortars. Either way the walls are restored to their original beauty.

I have a wide range of experience with different stone from Cardiff, around South Wales, Derbyshire and the Cotswolds. I am always learning – each stone is unique and each new project has its own demands, whether restoration or working with new stone.

I am professionally trained to DSWA/LANTRA L2 (instructor level) and am experienced in key skills. I was mentored in Wales ‘one to one’ with Advanced Waller Ken Young and in the Brecon National Park with the local branch of the DSWA.

I continually seek training in advanced skills more recently with Master Dry Stone Waller Sean Adcock in the art of the Clawdd (equivalent to a Cornish Hedge) in Bethel N Wales.

I gained generous professional experience with John Broadhead of ‘Oxstonecraft’ in Derbyshire and trained for L1&L2 qualification with Cotswold Conservation Board

I have tutored disadvantaged school children working on the Cotswold Way. I volunteer for the National Trust as a dry stone waller. I have a growing number of skills:

• building/rebuilding with new stone
• dry-stone walling in a domestic/garden setting
• working with conservation standard Cardiff black lime mortar for garden walls
• ‘gapping’ – repairing walls, reusing available stone
• retaining walls, stock-proof walls, ‘over-handing’
• building ‘cheek-ends’ (vertical wall-ends) and smoots
• working with young people, including those academically disadvantaged

I continue to train – gaining initial qualification with a great team – South Wales DSWA and with Cotswold Conservation in Burford, Gloucestershire.  The DSWA continues to undertake long term restoration in Brecon Beacons National Park (Libanus). In 2018 we replaced a 6 foot high retaining wall  above Aberfan near Merthyr Tydfil as part of a Cadw approved Longhouse restoration project. I have worked on Cotswold stone projects in Stroud and Dyrham Park for the National Trust.

Working with Ken Young and SW DSWA volunteers we built a refuge for ex-Afghanistan soldiers on Mynydd Yslwyn above Blackwood.

Whilst developing my walling skills I worked p/t as a Welsh Government funded skills project manager (HEFCW/USW) and as a researcher/consultant interested in new/transferable skills and training for adults.

I have recently advised on a UK television production being developed on heritage crafts.

I worked in the film, TV and digital media industry as a multi BAFTA award winning creative producer and executive producer.