Handcarved or Machine Cut Headstones
Why choose a handcarved bespoke headstone instead of a machine cut one ?
The making of handcarved bespoke headstones is an ancient tradition which goes back hundreds of years. If you walk around an old cemetery, you will see the work of past stone letter cutters and old master craftsmen. With the arrival of machines, however, the tradition has gradually been lost to mass production. Many headstones and memorials today are made from imported granite which have been sandblasted and they all look the same. The cemeteries are full of black polished machine cut headstones which have no originality.
Gradually, however, the old traditions are returning and clients are looking for something which is more unique and personal to commemorate their loved ones. If you choose a handcarved headstone, there is more freedom to select what you would like and more opportunities to create something original. The lettering and the reliefs can be more organic and if you use an unpolished natural material, it will blend into the environment and mellow with the weather.
The stone letter carver always needs to pay attention to detail and will draw out the design by hand carefully measuring the dimenisions that are required by the cemetery. Special attention to letter spacing is required and, if necessary, the design and drawing may need to be re-drawn several times. Choosing the material and handling it needs care and consideration.
Simon Burns-Cox has been a Sculptor and Letter Carver for more than 25 years. He is a skilled stone letter cutter and would be happy to discuss your requirements. He is based at The Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland but works throughout the UK and overseas.
