Mastercrafts - Stonemasonry

Monty Don celebrates six of the traditional crafts that built our nation and its heritage, ranging from thatching to stonemasonry. Under Monty's watchful eye three hopefuls who are passionate about learning crafts are put through their paces by the country's leading practitioners In this episode Monty looks at stonemasonry. Carpenter Nigel Woodford, 45; electrical testing engineer Simon Tack, 40; and art and design tutor Suzanne Jones, 39, take up their places as passionate amateurs in the shadow of an Elizabethan stately home - Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. It takes four to five years to train properly as a stonemason. During their six-week intensive course the rookies learn the foundations of the craft - everything from quarrying their own stone to intricate carving. Stonemasonry was brought to Britain by the Romans over 2,000 years ago but it was the Norman Conquest and the Gothic cathedral builders of the Middle Ages that cemented the stonemason as a key master craftsman in Britain. It was the skills and techniques of the stonemason that defined the look and build of the country right up to the Second World War. However, because of extensive bomb damage and the urgent need to rebuild, new techniques - such as prefabricated concrete buildings - put paid to the stonemason's craft. And much of the skilled work of stonemasons was diverted into restoration projects. Our keen apprentices are instructed by their mentor Andy Oldfield, senior mason at Hardwick Hall with over 20 years of experience as a stonemason. Meanwhile, Monty finds out what role stonemasonry may have in the modern world of machine-based masonry. Can the amateurs grasp the intricacies of the craft and design a unique work that will be displayed in the grounds of Hardwick Hall?