A Home for My Antique Staddle Stones

June 4, 2019

Spring projects continue around my Bedford, New York farm with the installation of five antique staddle stones near my pool.

I bought the staddle stones two years ago from the annual NYBG Garden Furniture & Antiques Fair. Staddle stones were originally used in the 17th and 18th centuries as support bases for granaries, hayricks, and game larders. They typically looked like giant stone mushrooms, but mine are square – a more rare and unique version. Last week, Carmine Luppino and his crew from Luppino Landscaping & Masonry “planted” my staddle stones on the far end of the pool, so they could be seen when looking out at the fields and surrounding landscape. The project took a couple days to complete, but I am so happy with how it turned out.

Enjoy these photos.

: Here are the five staddle stone bases. Sometimes these staddle stones were made from a single piece, but most often there was a base and a top. The bases varied from cylindrical to square and rectangular to near triangular – and almost always tapered.

: Here are the tops – with slightly domed shapes. These are square, but tops varied in style depending on where they were made and used. Staddle stones are mainly found in England, Galicia and Northern Spain.

: As you can see in this stock photo, the stones were developed through “need”. They were foundation stones which kept wooden structures from rotting, with the cap also acting as a barrier to vermin trying to access the hay, grain or game stored inside. (Photo posted by @glennsutcliffe2)

: After deciding where they would be placed, Carmine’s team began digging the holes. I have known Carmine for years – his crew has worked on many of the stone projects around the farm.

: These holes were dug quite deep – around 30 to 32 inches into the ground. This will ensure the stones are on stable foundations.

: Carmine’s team is very tidy. The sooil and sod is removed and placed to the side, so it could be returned after the staddle stones are installed.

: After all the holes were dug, a first layer of cement is dropped into each hole. This will prevent the staddle stones from any shifting or sinking over the years.

: Here is one hole filled about half way with cement.

: A closer look at this stone base shows how deep it was originally set – all of them will be placed according to these original marks. The word “staddle” comes from the Old English word “stathol” or base. In German, the word “stadal” means barn.

: Carmello measures each base to know how deep it should go into the ground.

: Each one has slightly different measurements, so he measures all of them individually – multiple times to be absolutely certain.

: Two days later, the holes are filled with more cement.

: In general, it takes about 24 to 48 hours for cement and concrete to set, but it can take up to a month for it to fully cure.

: Here are all the bases “planted” in the holes. They are purposely installed in an uneven line, so they look as natural as possible, as if they were always here. At one point, staddles were made of wood, but the stone versions quickly proved more long lasting and durable.

: Once the bases were positioned, the undersides of the tops were all cleaned of any old cement.

: Carmello then puts down a new layer of cement.

: A layer of cement is also placed on the top of the base, where the two pieces will meet.

: And the first staddle stone support is up – it was so exciting to see. These pieces were always carved from the area’s local stone – I love the variations in color that developed over time.

: I took a quick look at the progress and the setting of the first stone top before the crew continued – it looks perfect.

: Each top was carefully placed on its base. We kept everything well labeled to keep the pairs appropriately matched.

: Carmello stopped often to check the level and positioning of the staddle tops.

: Once all the tops are up, any excess cement underneath is removed.

: The soil is then returned to cover the cement, and then the sod was placed over the soil.

: In the end, they all look great. Here, you can see how the base stones taper slightly toward the top with the overlapping cap stone, making it almost impossible for any rodent to climb up into the structures. Using these staddle stones also allowed air to move freely beneath the building to keep any grains or hay dry.