A Guide to The Modern Uses for Staddle Stones

The historical uses of staddle stones were essential for a community’s livelihood. What was once used to protect an entire village’s food supply is now a stylish homage to traditional architecture. Fascinatingly though, their position in contemporary stonemasonry seems to echo past uses. This blog will be a journey into why this is the case and what they still have to offer modern buildings. 

Why Have They Stated Relevant?

Staddle Stones may have originally only served a practical purpose, but they became a symbol of self-dependent and community-minded collectives as a result of their role in protecting the local towns and hamlets they were first erected in. 

Given their long-lasting material that can brave the elements, they have stayed resistant to the erosion of time; outlasing even the barns and granaries that they once held up. In rural areas they can now be found across popular walking routes and at areas of cultural significance.

Creative Modern Applications

It might seem slightly eerie imagining a once ancient building support placed next to a Ford Fiesta, but the humble staddle stone has seen frequent use in garages around the front of a house. They blend into a muted colour palette, and can be used to help house tools, or a heavier collection of objects when placed collectively.

This has even led to the mass production of new concrete staddle stones, which would have originally been impossible to make during their first use in the medieval era. What was once carved from rock is now capable of being mass-replicated: its timeless appeal has nonetheless remained as strong as its own firm structural integrity. 

Doubling as a more stylish garden feature, it occasionally marks focal points in a landscaped space or forms the base for a larger sculpture or planter. This is a method of display that subtly reflects its more traditional uses in a faithful homage. Other common settings are: 

• Property entrance markers, when customised with house names and numbers.

• Vehicle deterrents that can be used rather than a visually uninspiring bollard or a flimsier fence.

• Heritage restoration projects, which often include original or concrete staddle stones in barn conversions or historic refurbishments.

Shropshire Brick and Stone’s Uses

In our post stone section, you will see where we most frequently use straddle stones. With applications that unite aesthetic form and practical functionality, our methods are inspired in equal parts by tradition and modern uses that are informed by a rich cultural legacy. 

If you’re keen to get creative about the uses for post stones, then we are only an email or phone call away. We pride ourselves on bringing nostalgia to modern settings, and are always happy to share our own ideas for what a cast stone could do to transport your property back in time.