Gabion Walls: What They Are and 10 Benefits of Using Them

You’ve probably seen them in all kinds of places: wire baskets of stones piled up against slopes and rivers, or neatly dividing green spaces. Gabion walls have seen a resurgence in use and popularity lately, but they are far from new. Used by military and structural engineers for thousands of years, including on the banks of the River Nile, they form a time-tested and dependable structure that has countless benefits and uses. The word gabion comes from the Italian gabbione which literally translates as “big cage”, and this is essentially what they are – cage-like enclosures filled with inorganic material like stone, brick or broken concrete. Their man use in structural engineering has been for protecting shorelines, river banks and slopes from erosion, and they're either laid at angles in “mattress” form or, more commonly, stacked incrementally like bricks. Nowadays though, they are used for all kinds of other practical reasons, as well as purely aesthetic reasons. More and more gardens, urban spaces, towns and land re-development projects are transforming the way gabion baskets can be used and are employing them to build walls, pillars, benches and base structures, as well as to separate and divide areas, reinforce earth walls, and as a buffer for water features. The baskets themselves can come in a range of different sizes to suit all kinds of needs and designs, and are constructed using tough, galvanised wire mesh, usually of a 3mm thickness. One of the reasons gabion walls are so popular with gardeners and landscapers is because anyone can build and place their own baskets and use them how they want to – they’re the DIY way to build walls and other similar structures in your own space. All it takes is a plan and some elbow-grease. Take a look at Catherine Stewart’s post which explains every step she took to build a gabion wall in her front garden, including step-by-step pictures to show you how everything went together. As Catherine explains, she was able to fill hers with on-site sandstone which they broke up themselves, but that doesn’t mean you need an abundance of available stone on your doorstep in order to fill up your basket. Gabion stone can be sourced easily and in a range of sizes and colours, meaning you can tailor your design to fit your environment, making them an attractive and customisable addition to your space.