A 25 year old man from Denbighshire has become the latest to reach the prestigious status of Master Craftsman dry stone waller after a gruelling seven and a half hour timed assessment building a feature withing 5m2 of dry stone wall.
Barney Murray began his dry stone walling career at the age of 19 joining the second intake of the DSWA bursary scheme, kindly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. During this 18-month training program, Barney went from strength to strength achieving his Level 3 by the end of the scheme – a monumental achievement in such a short time.
Barney during his time as a DSWA Training Bursary student
Since then, Barney has continued to refine his craft. With kind funding from Heritage Crafts, he decided to tackle his most daunting challenge yet – his Master Craftsman certification. This demanding level requires candidates to build a wall on a sloped ground as well as three features, one of which must be undertaken within a 7.5 hour time period.
Barney after completing the right-angled corner
Barney started his building with a sloped wall, step style and round pillar which were in Powys and Oswestry respectively. Two DSWA Assessors were sent to mark the features before Barney could proceed to the final timed test element. On the 26th July he embarked on the herculean task of building 5m2 of dry stone wall with a right-angled corner withing the allotted time. After a tense wait, the Assessors announced the news that Barney had passed the assessment with flying colours.
Reflecting on his journey Barney said “At the time [of being a trainee], the rank of Master Craftsman seemed unattainable – a pinnacle perched atop the precipice of the craft […] Words fail to capture my absolute glee upon passing my Master Craftsman timed test. Testing every ounce of my skills, culminating in seven and half hours to create a monument of madness” he went on to say “I’ve come so far in the craft, and I’m exhilarated by what the future holds”
Andrew Loudon, DSWA Head Assessor and Trustee, has been involved in Barneys walling career since his bursary placement remarked “Six years ago I interviewed Barney for a place on the DSWA’s training bursary scheme. At the time he was 19 years of age, now at only 25 this exceptional young man has attained his DSWA Master Craftsman certificate. I am certain Barney will be a huge asset to the not only the DSWA but to the craft of dry stone walling as a whole. I am extremely proud to have played a small part in Barney achieving his Master Craftsman status”