Stonemasons & Stonework

Say ‘stonemason’ and you think of the medieval masons who built the great cathedrals and castles. But in fact, stonemasons are still in demand today, whether it’s shaping new blocks of stone for modern buildings, or repairing the damage done to buildings made by the masons of the past.

A modern stonemason may cut and shape stone using machine or hand tools, taking into account the characteristics of the stone being used, or cut and polish granite and marble for use in construction, such as for kitchen bench tops and bathroom vanity units. In fact, if you live in a fairly modern home you might have an example of a stonemason’s work right there in the marble or granite surface of you kitchen bench. Stonemasons also design, cut and carve monuments, such as memorial tablets and bases for statues, using templates for detailed work and a variety of chisels, punches and hammers, depending on the type of stone being used.

There are different types of mason: quarrymen split the rock at the source into manageable blocks. Banker masons are workshop based, and specialize in carving stones into intricate geometrical shapes required by a building’s design. They can produce anything from stones with simple chamfers to tracery windows, detailed mouldings and the more classical architectural building masonry. Carvers form beautiful scrolls and flowers in the stone based on classical designs, while fixer masons specialise in the fixing of stones onto buildings, using lifting tackle, mortar and grouts.

Stonemasons are not as common as they used to be, but their stonework skills have survived and can be seen in the upkeep of some of our most beautiful old buildings and in the blocks of sandstone and granite that adorn our new skyscrapers and even our homes.