A FARMER and drystone waller whose craft can be seen dotted around the Teesdale landscape now earns his living from creating replicas in miniature.

What began as a hobby about eight years ago has become a lifeline since his livestock was culled in the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

"I was into diversification before it was fashionable," said Mr Trevor Dixon, who began making small versions of his stone walls in order to earn some extra money and, as time went on, to supplement his farming income.

"I had been toying with the idea for a while, after giving up competition shooting and looking round for another pastime."

Until recently, he farmed 340 acres at East House Farm, Langleydale, with his son Philip. They lost their 750 sheep, lambs, cattle and calves on April 7 under foot-and-mouth disease contiguous culling rules, for which they are awaiting compensation.

"Our Swaledale flock was started by my grandfather in 1936," said Mr Dixon. "The ministry kept us on tenterhooks for 12 days before they were culled. It was 66 years of breeding wiped out.

"I could not watch. I had to go into the house out of the way."

East House Farm has been the family home since his grandfather moved there from Scargill in 1936.

Now, with no stock to tend and extra time on his hands, he is devoting more and more of it to building up his range of miniatures for sale in the coming months.

Mr Dixon's approach is rather different to other model makers who usually work in clay or plaster casts. He prefers using real stone, fashioning pieces from offcuts of sandstone from a local quarry. He makes farm and stile gates out of scrap wood or lollipop sticks, depending on the size.

"I suppose you could say my business is environmentally friendly, as everything I use has been recycled," he said. He constructs miniature walls in exactly the same way as he would a full-size one. "The principle is the same. It is just like building a scale model," he added.

He builds up the walls, which he markets under the name of Dalestone Crafts, in two halves, using "through" or "thruff" stones for strength, and tries to make them look as natural as possible. The only difference between the miniatures and life-size ones is that the models are held together with glue so they do not come apart during handling.

The only things he buys in are figures, such as sheepdogs or different varieties of sheep, which he uses for enhancement.

As word about his models spread, he began to be asked to make custom-built pieces, one of the most unusual requests was for a Saddleback pig to be included. Another man wanted him to feature a Blue Merle - the border collie distinguished by its blue coat and blue eyes. People often want their pets represented, and Mr Dixon tries to accommodate their wishes.

His models range in price from £8-£85 depending on size, with the average price around £40. "People tell me they like them because each piece is unique," he said. "When anybody buys one, nobody else has one exactly the same."

Already looking ahead to the Christmas trade, Mr Dixon is a regular visitor to farmers' markets, but will lose customers through the cancellation of agricultural shows this year.

He began by selling at local shows, beginning with the now defunct Lartington country fair, before moving on to Eggleston and Bowes.

An appearance on the television show Dales Diary encouraged more interest, and he has since expanded into Northumberland and Yorkshire, attending many craft fairs.

As well as selling his goods, he has to ensure his stocks are replenished. He can make four small pieces in a day or two bigger ones. "It is very fiddly, so you have to keep taking a break," he said. "But the more you do it the quicker you get."

He has also begun to create 3D pictures of the Teesdale landscape, with a drystone wall in the foreground. These take longer to make because the stones are so tiny he has to use tweezers to put them in place, which makes it painstaking work.

The pictures are selling well and he hopes to have a photographer take pictures of dale scenes and farmhouses to use as a backdrop in future works.

His pieces are popular with visitors, who see them as a little bit of Teesdale to take home as a memento of their stay.

Models have also been taken as a reminder of home to ex-pats in far-flung corners of the globe such as New Zealand and Canada and to those living on continental Europe.

Mr Dixon said it was too soon to say whether he would restock the farm, but feels his son might want to do so.

"He had done well at local shows with his Swaledale tup shearlings and ewes," he said. His other son, Richard, works in the retail trade in Barnard Castle.

For those wanting a closer look at Mr Dixon's miniature works a web site is available on www.barnard-castle.co.uk or people can telephone him on 0780 1339674 to make an appointment.

"Anybody is welcome to come to my workshop as long as they ring to arrange first," he added.