Carving a career
Having carved out a 30-year career in stonemasonry and written a book about it too, Andrew Ziminski is undoubtedly one of Britain’s most passionate proponents of this ancient craft. He’s also one of the most experienced, regularly lending his hand to the conservation of several of our most iconic cathedrals and monuments.
The author of The Stonemason: A History of British Building is sat in what he calls “paradise”, watching the swifts and swallows enjoy the late spring sunshine from a seat in the chancel of St Mary’s Church in Moorlinch, Somerset. Andrew has been commissioned to repair the church’s windows and tower while refurbishing the weathervane. His words echo within the cavernous space, which was completed by masons in the 13th century, though a church was first recorded here in King Ine of Wessex’s charter in AD 725.
The craft’s roots reach back further still. The Heritage Crafts Association, whose president is HRH The Prince of Wales, records the Roman period
