Martin Beevers, of Dickson, is a highly skilled and well-traveled dry stone mason and waller. Originally from England, Beevers learned the ancient craft from an 85 year-old retired farmer in Derbyshire, in the Midlands region of the country. Dry stone walling is the building of structures from stones without any mortar used as a hardening, filling, or sealing agent. In dry stone masonry, binding is achieved through the careful selecting and arranging of interlocking stones. “[This farmer] taught me the old traditional methods,” Martin explains. “I then went on to seek professional qualifications with the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. I was taught by three master craftsmen–Gordon Wilton, Sally Hodgson and Trevor Wragg–at the Eco Centre in Wirksworth. I have been professionally walling for over 20 years.”
“It’s important to preserve our history and traditions period,” Martin explains. “In England, the trade never went away. People have been preserving and maintaining our walls since they were built many hundreds of years ago. In the US, and particularly Tennessee, the knowledge disappeared sometime in the 19th century. Since then, the marvelous history and tradition of these walls has been in constant decline. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. It’s important that doesn’t happen.”
Since moving to Tennessee in 2020, Martin has completed dry stone wall projects with the Tennessee State Historical Commission, Tennessee Department of Transportation, The Battle Of Franklin Trust, as well as with private clients. He built a teaching facility in Kingston Springs and serves as the current president of The Stone Trust, an organization based in Vermont concerned with the promotion and advancement of dry stone walling.
As part of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program this year, Martin will be teaching dry stone masonry to Luke Strong, of Nashville. “I became familiar with dry stone walls working around them as a landscaper in Belle Meade, TN,” Luke explains. “I’ve been practicing for two years, building and repairing rubble walls. More recently my work with Martin is helping me understand the finer points of the craft and also its regional specificities. Dry stone walling is one of the oldest building techniques in the world, relying on friction, gravity, and the skill of the builder, rather than adhesives such as mortar. I would like to pursue dry stone professionally. I would like to work with an emphasis on the historical preservation aspect of the craft, perhaps restoring walls for parks and municipalities, and at some point passing down what I know as an instructor.”
