Continuing my drawings with Stone Masons at York Minster last weekend a rare event took place. Each year somewhere in Europe stone masons from all around come together to compete in a stone off! Who is the best European Stone Mason of his/her time?
Apprentices, Journeymen*, and master Stone Masons alike appear from Germany, Scandinavia and all over Britain to chip away using pretty much the same tools as used in medieval times, drink alot of beer and demonstrate their timeless craft.
Set in the school grounds of Saint William's choral school next to York Minster the subject was set to carve 'Nature's wonders' and the results were auctioned off at the end of the weekend with the proceeds going to the upkeep of York Minster. The carvings produced included grotesque frogs, magical griffins a fair few Yorkshire roses, a pea pod growing from a man's lungs (taken from a story published in the Daily Mail!), a monster designed by a York 7yr old school child winning a local competion and carved by the Minster's senior Mason and the winning piece by Nina Bildey, a beautiful and intricately carved snail emerging and twisting out from its shell.
Amongst the ale, healthy rivalry, laughter and music, limestone dust and bemused day visitors to York Minster I couldn't resist to view the full set click here.
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