Stonemason

A stonemason is a craftsman who works in stone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The London Guild of Masons was formed in 1356, considerably later than most of the other guilds.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was in Saxon England almost no tradition of building in stone. Following the Norman Conquest the many building projects the invaders initiated would necessarily have been directed by master masons from the Continent. We know the names of a few of them, such as William of Sens who was appointed to oversee the rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral following a disastrous fire in 1174. He had previously been Master of Works at Saint-Etienne-de-Sens. Although he is remembered now for his work on Canterbury Cathedral, among his contemporaries he was renowned for his skill as a cutter of stone and for his knowledge of carpentry. He is also said to have devised a faster and more efficient method for loading and unloading boats. Given the paucity of roads in that era, water transport was vitally important. This shows something of the range of skills required of a master mason of that era.

Craftsman: Craftsman is...

Stone: __NOTOC__...

Guild: A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. Historically they were benefit societies or small business associations, since each crafter was a self-employed individual artisan or part of a small c...

Stonemason related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Skills and Craft of the Stonemason