Traditional Stone Pillars Enhance The Countryside

Traditional stone pillars can be found in every county of Northern Ireland. Over many centuries, farmers and land owners established field boundaries with distinctive gate openings. The construction of round stone pillars with wrought iron gates provided a serviceable access point and enhanced the appearance of the countryside.

The stone pillars of Northern Ireland are not only unique in character, but they also reflect the local geology. These pillars built from local stone give a strong sense of local identity and provide a natural bond with the land. The rock type used to build stone pillars was in most cases collected locally, either from the surrounding fields, or from the local quarry. The Antrim hills are basalt, the Mourne area granite and the sedimentary rock, greywacke, is found around Ballynahinch through to Tandragee. In Tyrone and Fermanagh other sedimentary rocks such as mudstone and siltstone are found. Field stones, however, can sometimes be very different from the underlying rock type as a result of glacial deposits.

There are still many good examples of unique pillars to be found in the local countryside, however, many have been demolished to make way for wider field opening to accommodate modern machinery.

Participants in either the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (DARD) Countryside Management Scheme (CMS) or Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Scheme can receive funding for the provision or replacement of traditional pillars. Funding is based on standard costs which are included in the Enhancement Plan Capital Works leaflet.

Paul O’Hagan built a set of pillars on his farm near Moneymore. The stones he used were from the local area and reflect the fact that a wide variety of stone types were deposited in that area following the ice-age. Ivan Bolton of Swatragh built his stone pillars using field stones from his local area, and this is reflected in the pillars, which, in comparison, have less variety in the colour, shape and size of the stone. Both farmers received funding through their Countryside Management Scheme agreement.

For further information on building stone pillars, please contact the Countryside Management Adviser at your local DARD office.