The Stonemason: A History of Building Britain

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Yet there is no evidence that in England Samhain was ever celebrated before Hallowe’en came in. Nor had Celtic‑speaking people anything to do with the long barrows of the fourth millennium before Christ, built long before the arrival of the Celtic language. The grant will contribute greatly towards affording me the time to make careful considerations and ensure that the full potential of the teaching content is realised. Specifically, I want to thank the Trust for recognising the need for this book which has given me a much-needed dose of encouragement and a vote of confidence as I enter the final publishing stages. I very much hope that with improved education, we will see a wider appreciation of Swings and a surge in young performers who aspire to take on the unique challenges of the role. He goes on to explain that Portland was where Robert Hook first realised there had been species that no longer existed and speculated on evolution 250 years before Darwin. The text effortlessly transfers to The Monument in London built of Portland stone by Wren and Hooke, “drawing together the purest and most harmonious parts of the Enlightenment.” This might be the annual standoff between the differing archdruidsat Stonehenge, gowned and straw boater-ed Rollo Maughfling and tin-crowned, sword-wielding Arthur Pendragon (ever ready to defend the henge from the maltreatment of “English Heretics”, as the sight’s modern custodians are known in Druidic circles); or, more personally, the torment of spending days strapped to the tower of St James’ Trowbridge, where “the aroma of the Ushers brewery merged with the aromatic delights of the adjacent Bowyers sausage and pork pie factory…” Follow the oolitic limestone seam, a sash of stone that rises from the Jurassic Coast on the Isle of Portland, heads to Bath, the Cotswolds, up to Lincolnshire and ends in York. The buildings erected on top are a reflection of their provenance, and some of the grandest. It is by geological determination rather than accident that Lincoln Cathedral and York Minster are where they are.

The author, Andrew Ziminski, deserves all the praise that this captivating, thoughtful and, at times, humorous book has bestowed upon him. It is a broadly chronological look at construction in - and the construction of - Britain, from the barrows of the Neolithic, the distinct Roman and Saxon styles of building and up to the most recent of contemporary architectural styles, all of which document the ‘warp and weft of English history, nature and geology’. This well-woven tapestry of British history is further revealed and explored through the evolution of building techniques and materials.the ‘golden stain of time’, as John Ruskin put it, can sometimes be difficult to define to potential clients... Among his tools is a 100-year-old rosewood mallet "that's paid the mortgage for 30 years". On a recent job in Caerleon he popped into the Roman museum there and saw a similar mallet and chisel. "These are technologies that haven't really been challenged in thousands of years," he reflects.

Humphrey commented: “ Church Going will cast an entirely fresh light on the humble parish church. Who better to write about these fascinating buildings than Andrew Ziminski, whose intimate knowledge and infectious enthusiasm brings to life the secret lives of churches all around the British Isles and Ireland. We’re sure that this beautifully written and richly illustrated book will be the perfect present next Christmas, and for years to come.” Adjacent to stonemason Andrew Ziminski’s end-of-terrace stone cottage is the parcel of land where he has his open-air workshop. As he stands at his outdoor workbench, he can survey the stone crosses high up on neighbouring Trinity Church that he himself repaired. They are just the nearest example of his stone conservation work, which can be found across the south-west of England and beyond. When I visit, he bravely lets me do a little stone-carving of my own. With a mallet and a little claw chisel, I chip away in a curve to help emphasise the sinuous outline of a reclining woman. It’s a design in Bath stone Ziminski is working on for a famous client he asks me not to name. It is a journey of ideological exploration of various kinds, ranging from the hopelessness of homeless drug takers to the appreciation of the Japanese concept of wabi sabi (the beauty of the imperfect) in conservation. So, who would enjoy reading this book? Firstly anyone who appreciates a tale well told, second anyone who loves Britain and its buildings, thirdly people with an interest in the history of our country, and finally, those with an interest in conservation.A wonderful behind-the-scenes history, where time works on a different scale and stone is a living, breathing entity . . . by a master craftsman whose expertise connects him to the generations that came before him, BBC Countryfile Magazine We are well used to sharing our knowledge about the conservation of historic buildings and specifically the techniques we employ and materials we use which are crucial for maintaining the happy equilibrium of an old building.

People have been working stone for thousands of year in this country, though how they did it without metal tools is another mystery. Andrew Ziminski has got three decades of experience as a mason and it is with the Neolithic that he begins his journey around the South West of the country, beginning in the West Kennet Long Barrow on the festival of Samhain. He was there to see if the collapsing walls could be repaired, and it was an opportunity to see how our ancient relatives built these structures without metal tools to dress the stones. Ziminski has been keeping journals since completing his fellowship with The Society For The Protection Of Ancient Buildings in 1998. The Society was set up by William Morris in 1887, and it has been at the forefront of protecting our built heritage ever since. Until the 18th century and the arrival of canals and, later, trains, buildings were largely made of the stone beneath them — except in places without building stone nearby, such as Westminster Abbey. That’s where Ziminski served his apprenticeship 30 years ago, working on the Caen stone imported at huge expense from Normandy.

The book comes satisfyingly full circle to the sarsen stones of Salisbury Plain where it begins with Andrew spending a fitful night in a long barrow near Stonehenge. He concludes: “Stone as a material has allowed the meaning of these monuments to the dead to endure beyond their time. As I have attempted to negotiate my own understanding of the past, I am left touched with the notion that every building, sculpture and structure I have seen in my journey was created by people who felt and thought in a way that was familiar to us, a thread of connection and culture that in some way will continue to run on through the generations.”

He has worked on a wide range of monuments. From the earliest surviving structure in England -The West Kennet Long Barrow to the Roman Baths in Bath and so on through countless Medieval Churches and Cathedrals to the monuments of the Industrial Revolution. Travelling to various jobs we join Ziminski as heAndrew Ziminski entwines the landscape and architecture, the art and craft, the archaeology and history of the building of Britain into a singular thread that wraps the reader into the tranquility of the landscape of the very world we’ve created to admire a skill that we’ve all but left behind. Ziminski takes us on a tour of building the landscape around us to the country we recognise today and bypass the art and craftsmanship which made this iconic landscape from the days of megalithic Sarsens to our modern use of concrete to create an “artificial stone”.Conservation work to many fine Somerset Church towers, such as Kilmersdon, Hinton St George, Chedzoy, Yarlington and Shepton Montague.