Building stiles in stone walls requires some skill and knowledge of walling techniques. These techniques are described in detail in Dry Stone Walling. The information here gives the design and average measurements of various stiles, with a few notes on construction methods.
Step stiles
The steps should protrude at least 300mm from the wall. Ideally, stones should be used which are long enough to protrude either side, but if not available, the stones should be embedded for at least twice the length of the step. Long face stones help to hold the step securely, but mortaring may be necessary to keep the step solid. Railway sleepers can be used if there are no suitable stones available, but these are not as attractive or durable. A heavy through stone is needed to protect the top of the wall. Stone steps tend to be slippery, and a timber handhold may be helpful. This also acts as a useful waymark if the path is not worn.
Step-over stiles
Traditional ‘stone hedges’ in Cornwall sometimes have stiles with hewn granite rails.
A method likely to be more practical is to use scaffold poles or any other suitable iron pipe. These weather to look reasonably unobtrusive. The poles can be fitted to form the stepped profile shown above, or as an upright stile, with a separate step if necessary.
Squeeze stiles
There are many variations of the squeeze stile described in ‘Dry Stone Walling’, depending on the available stone. The principle is that the average person can squeeze through the gap, but stock cannot. An extra barrier may need to be added at lambing time.
Rung stiles
These are traditional in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and work on the same principle as a cattle grid. The width of the gaps and the number of rungs depends on the stone available, but usually four or five rungs are used. A large stone can be used for the middle rung, so that it sticks up as a sill about 300mm high. The gaps between the rungs have to be cleaned out from time to time for the stile to be stockproof.
