Stonemasons - The Men Who Built Our Castles And Cathedrals
Modern stonemasons are called upon to carry out conservation and stone repairs on historic buildings
. But they were built by their vocational ancestors when the craft was highly respectable, and masters of the trade could be extremely rich.
Medieval stonemasons had to move around the country to find work, but the road to mastery took them on a lucrative path.
Like many trades of that era, stonemasons had to be apprentices first, lasting up to seven years.
An apprentice stonemason would usually live with his master and take all his meals with the maters family. He would learn the art of stone masonry by watching his master and gradually taking on tasks.
After qualifying, he was entitled to be an official member of the stonemasons guild and could set up his own business.
Life as a medieval stonemason
After qualifying, a stonemason would work extremely hard. Hours would be spent hammering stone in order to create designs for specific parts of a building.
Features like arches and doorways would take hours, with regular intervals to assess the work.
There was often a huge amount of stone needed, which had to be prepared and shaped once it arrived at on-site. Although the work itself could be unvaried, the travelling opportunities made it much more interesting.
After years of stone masonry, you could then become supervisor, who would supervise groups of stonemasons on site.
With his experience, he could effectively act as a modern day quantity surveyor, assessing the amount of men needed to carry out stoneworks and the cost of materials and labour.
At the top - the master mason
To become a master mason you had to move through the ranks, as a stonemason and a supervisor.
This is because they needed coordination skills to run a building site, liaise with suppliers and keep the other stonemasons working well.
He often had free food and accommodation on site during the duration of the project. Castles and cathedrals could take decades to complete.
All workers on-site were subordinate to the master mason, who was being paid by the patron, such as a bishop or monarch.
Stone masonry was, in medieval times, seen as a mysterious and magical process with secret knowledge needed to construct them.
Stone Edge is a company of Master Craftsmen, all experts in natural stone masonry.Operating throughout the UK, the companys stonemasons carry out building conservation and restoration works for commercial clients and private clients.
Stone Edges team of stonemasons specialise in the natural stone masonry repair of historical buildings, structures and monuments, from listed buildings to World Heritage Sites.
This building restoration expertise has been called upon for a wide variety of heritage projects, including abbeys, industrial monuments, churches, bridges, prisons, civic halls, sculptures.
The historical nature of many of these projects requires both ethical and practical solutions.
In this constantly evolving environment, Stone Edge diligently monitors both scientific and practical industry developments and, by liaising closely with clients, delivers results of the very highest standards.
by: Richard Denneny
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