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What is it like to work on ancient English churches, cathedrals and stone monuments? How does stone, a symbol of permanence, change over centuries? In this interview, I explore the craft of stonemasonry with church conservator Andrew Ziminski.
Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason and church conservator with decades of experience working on some of the greatest cathedrals and churches in Britain. He’s also the author of The Stonemason: A History of Building Britain and Church Going: A Stone Mason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles.
- The ancient craft of stonemasonry and how the tools have remained unchanged for millennia
- How stone is damaged over time by settlement, weather, and even the metal used to build with
- The defining features of Gothic architecture, a movement focused on light and colour, not darkness
- Why the “Green Man” carvings in churches are Christian symbols of resurrection, not pagan figures
- How ancient churches can feel imbued with the atmosphere of centuries of human experience
You can find Andrew at MinervaConservation.com.
You can find my articles and photos of Gothic Cathedrals here.
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