"Andrew’s unscripted talk was both interesting and intriguing. Although the title for his book comes from a poem, ‘church going’ is what he does for his living. As a stonemason he knows all there is to know about ‘stone’, where it comes from and how to work it. His first book The Stonemason was a wonderful introduction to his craft and to his career and it is this work that has taken him to so many churches and historic buildings around the country so it is no wonder that he has peeked into corners in some strange places and discovered many lost or broken treasures. His natural curiosity has led him to discover the history of and the ‘why?’ of the different parts of a church- the rood screen and the knight’s tomb and such like. With the aid of some of his photos he explained the sights he had seen and the work he has done.

Andrew is obviously delighted by our church and has explored each part of it. He has cast his expert eye over our flying buttresses that don’t fly! Some of them are not attached to the clerestory wall as they should be so there has always been a question as to whether they were unfinished or were taken down. Andrew too was intrigued so he took a close look and is able to tell us that the latter would be the case. So we can be fairly sure that the nave roof was originally of stone. The falling spire probably damaged it. The replacement wooden ceiling, so much lighter, didn’t require the support of the buttresses and so where partially removed.

Thank you to all who came and gave so generously. And if you missed the talk and would like a copy of Andrew’s book we still have a couple of copies of  both and delightful reads which won’t bog you down; phone 01380 870119

    Andrew is also giving a talk in Frome on July 7th and having a Carving Workshop on July 5th again in Frome both as part of the Frome Festival  - see their website for more information   Home - Frome Festival