Gecko Stonework

14/03/2025

Great couple of days with learning more techniques with flint. Using “Field” flint as opposed to my go to “Chalk” flint was a bit of an eye opener! Field flint is far less forgiving to knapp than Chalk flint. It has a tendency to shatter so is best laid semi or un-knapped. On the second day we had an introduction into a few other styles and tried my hand at “galloting”, where the flint is laid with wider joints and “gallots” are inserted into the joints as the mortar starts its initial set. The word “gallot” comes from the French word for biscuit. Galloting is used mainly for quite “high end” work but folklore also believes it keeps the Devil and Witches from entering the property!!

Many thanks to Duncan, Callum, Ben and Otto. Great to spend a few days with like minded, positive people who share a passion.

09/03/2025

Becoming more serious about our photography and after a visit to in Burgess Hill we came away with an sony 200 - 600 G OSS lens to mount to the Sony a6700 camera.

Blown away with the initial results!! The detail and colours are (to us) mind blowing!

Enjoying this journey into photography (although baffling at times), and hoping it will allow us to capture images to share our love of travel and wildlife.

Inspired by the work of and we start yet another venture on a path unseen…..

11/10/2024

Amazing display of the Northern Lights this evening. Lasted for around 45 minutes. As we are in a relatively “dark sky” area they were visible to the naked eye. Makes a pretty cool backdrop for a drystone wall!

26/09/2024

Satisfying little job. Created this Egyptian Limestone front step using offcuts that were being sent to landfill. Took a little working out but enjoyed the process. It’s good get the grey matter exercised from time to time. I feel stone has a lovely “warmth” about it and gives a welcoming feel to the entrance. Most of the materials on this porch project were reclaimed.

16/04/2024

Bit of a “fun” addition to the project in Guildford for & . The clients asked for a small (6” x 4”) plaque with their initials and the build date. Never done anything like this before but quite pleased with the result. Done as a “thankyou” for all the teas and coffees. The plaque is tucked away at low level to be hidden by planting. We pressure washed the stonework to drive out the dust and let the beautiful colours of the Ionia Quartz from show through.

Proud to have played a part in this amazing project.

13/02/2024

Started a new project with .landscapes in Woldingham, Surrey. Working with some beautiful honey coloured Cotswold stone from . Keeping it coursed and tailed into mortar against structural block work. Less dense and easier to work with than the stone I normally use from Tinkers. Sharing knowledge and techniques with the governor as his love for the craft grows!!

11/02/2023

More photos of the recently completed greenhouse base and dwarf walls for the following installation by for and on behalf of Built within the walled vegetable garden at a property in Henley on Thames. Hampered by the seemingly endless rain and then freezing temperatures, we worked alongside and to meet the installation date. Really enjoy this type of build. I will some photos of the completed greenhouse in a few weeks when we return from India.

07/02/2023

With the temperatures finally rising last week, we were able to get on with the lime pointing on the base and brickwork for a greenhouse installation by on a project in Henley. Built to the very tight tolerances required by using the same bespoke handmade bricks used for the house and walled garden. The joints were raked out to a depth of 15mm for pointing. We used NHL 3.5 and a local fine washed sand to produce a “creamy” mortar enabling us to gun it into the joints. When sufficiently dry we finished the joints with jointer from , then brushed with a fine horsehair brush and finally dry sponged the brickwork to remove any lime residue and to “rough up” the joints to match the pointing on the main house as was the clients request. I will post more pictures of the completed base and walls prior to frame installation.

28/08/2022

Half way and through stone height on the longer of the two walls in Newnham, Hampshire. Included an arched Lunkey as a feature and to allow small animals to pass through as they did when this was a hedge. First drystone arch that I have built and well happy with the result. Great that so many passers by stop for a chat and to ask questions and it turns out that our occasional post lady was a Waller for the National Trust.

25/08/2022