Stone Carving Courses for Stone Masons
Its never too late to learn new skills or develop your existing ones.
Increasingly, I am being asked to teach young people who wish to learn a practical skill as they don’t want to sit in an office. These young people are the next generation of stone masons who we desperately need as the average age of a stone mason in the UK is now 58. I want to pass on the skills that I have learnt over the years from other people. In particular, the skills that I learnt from the artisans and stone masons I met when I was living in Rome. In Italy, these skills are past down from generation to generation and I want to pass them onto these enthusiatic young people in the UK who represent the future.
Stone masonry has a long history throughout the world, and began when humans first picked up tools and began to carve. From the Egyptian Pryamids to the Greek Acropolis, you can see the stone masons at work. Cathedrals, Castles and historic buildings throughout the world all need to be preserved and require continuous maintance from Stone Masons.
In medieval times, an apprenticeship in stone masonry took seven years. Now, colleges and apprenticeship schemes offer courses of about three years but many of these courses are closing. It is vital that these skills are preserved for future generations so I am offering courses to anyone who would like to learn an ancient craft and a new skill.
The stone mason needs to possess a variety of pratical skills such as high attention to detail, creativity, fitness and strength and working as part of a team.
There are three overall type of stone mason as well as those who are Quarrymen and Sawyer Masons:
Bankers who cut, carve and shape stone usually in a workshop using hand and power tools.
Fixer Masons who travel to the site to fit and lay prepared stone for buildings. They repair, replace and restore stone and are highly skilled as its dangerous work.
Memorial Masons who create and carve memorials for cemeteries and install headstones.
So why not learn a new craft and develop your skills and join one the Stone Carving Courses which is run by me, Simon Burns-Cox, and held at The Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop ? I offer a variety of Letter Carving and Relief Courses in Stone and Marble throughout the year for individuals and small groups of two. I will teach you how to design and draw onto stone and the basic techniques you will need to be able to carve letters and reliefs. For further information, please visit my website at http://simonburnscox.co.uk/
