The Stone Carving Studio with Kate Semple

A large group of stone carvers met up at Wells Cathedral for a talk with Derek Carr and Laurence Kelland about the restoration of the West Front in the 1980’s, a project they were both involved with. Derek carved many of the replacement sculptures and Laurence was part of the ground breaking techniques of stone conservation that were developed there. They gave a fascinating insight into working on a historic masterpiece.

After a slap up lunch they went on to do a tour of the hidden places in the Cathedral. This included the setting out room where you can still see the Medieval geometry scribed on to the floor. Then onto the roof spaces, which really open up an understanding of exactly how the cathedral was constructed. Along the way they saw stones illustrated with centuries of graffiti scribbled by its builders.