Niches and boles are various types of recesses within a wall. The thick walls surrounding many old Irish farms, for example, often contain various recesses and cavities (Evans, 1957). Some were used as dog-kennels, duck-houses and storage places. Smaller niches in sheep pens were made for keeping clippers ready to hand. Some cavities were specially designed as safes, with a ‘money safe stone’ that was impossible to distinguish from other stones. These are sometimes known as ‘vinegar stones’, following the practice of filling them with vinegar to disinfect the money during the time of the Black Death.
Niches also serve a decorative function in garden walls to house pots or statuary, or as seats. Niches without a back in a retaining wall are used for planting holes, or to facilitate drainage.
Constructing a niche
This is essentially the same as for a smoot. The base is normally formed with one or two large flat stones, which are held in place by the sides and back of the niche. The roof of the niche can be formed by an arch, or by fitting a lintel.
The back of the niche is the most difficult part to build.
A double thickness of face stones is difficult to fit in. A single thickness of stones can be used, but the stones have to be very regular to fit together without wedging, as any wedges would be likely to fall out.
One possible solution is to use a slab for the back, and this will hold the hearting and any wedges in place.
Constructing a bole
In the wetter and windier parts of Britain and Ireland, boles were built in walls to provide shelter for straw bee skeps. The skeps were packed around with straw in frosty weather. Bee boles are typically found in sets of three or four, about 2-3′ (600-900mm) above ground level to ease working, 18″ (450mm) square and 15″ (380mm) deep. Most are topped with lintels, although arched tops are also found. Sometimes the lintels project to help shed rainwater. On some boles the base also projects, to provide a landing place for the bees.
The spacing between boles varies, from a length of wall down to a single upright stone. Such stones should have good square bases and tops, and preferably be built into the back wall of the bole. Mortar may be needed to secure the pillars.
An interesting set of ten boles can be found at Penrose Farm, St. Ervan, Wadebridge, Cornwall, built into a stone hedge of vertically set stones.
Interesting bee boles can be found in all sorts of locations, and are particularly numerous in the Lake District. The International Bee Research Association conducted a survey, and had recorded 836 sets of boles in Britain by 1994, although these included some brick-built and other types of boles. For further details on boles see Wood (1973)), and the Dry Stone Walling Association leaflet ‘Bee Boles’.
