Low retaining wall at kitchen doorway

Restored masonry pier south of kitchen door jamb. The restoration masons have retained or inserted large stone "key" blocks projecting from the north-south plane of the wall for bonding with a possible future restored retaining wall. This cross-bonding takes advantage of the interlocking angles and reciprocal bearing surfaces of the stones forming the wall, a fundamental technique in eighteenth century construction of well-integrated rubble masonry wall systems. This "keying" of stones within the walls, combined with the solidifying effect of fully mortaring all joints and cavities between stones, produce a virtually monolithic structure able to maintain a stable balance of the forces acting within the wall. See DTR09PH125--1001.01.221 & DTR09PH126--1001.01.222 for views of the restored low retaining wall at this site. Laurence Ward, 2009