Come one, come all! In half an hour the auction of stone carvings begins.
Here are the lots:
Hi Everyone, here are some photos of our brilliant carvers on Day Two of the festival.
Only half a day of carving left!
Hi Everyone! I quickly ran around (metaphorically, I wouldn’t actually run!) taking a quick picture of the carvings so far.
I’m always worried I’m distracting the carvers when I point a camera at them, if so, I’m very sorry guys!
Hi everyone, I thought you might like to see some photos from Day 1 of the festival.
Our masons will be hard at work again tomorrow so please come and join us for some festival fun!
In case you are wondering where to park there are three car parks in walking distance;
My stone carving festival is free to enter but there are some costs involved if you want to try out any of the activities.
My have a go at stone carving table asks for donations-all the money raised goes towards the costs of running the festival.
The Gloucester Geology Trust and the Newport Ship trust have a minimum donation or small fee for their activities and as charities they keep all the money raised for their causes.
Once again I am raffling one of my carvings to help towards the costs of the festival, tickets are £3 each.
Obviously there will be a bar and crepes so make sure you bring money for that too, or bring a picnic, deck chairs, your own drinks and just enjoy the atmosphere.
Smoking is only allowed in one area on site (behind the Tithe barn) there will be signs to show you where and there are proper bins for cigarette butts.
Dogs are allowed on site but must be kept on a lead, please clean up after you pet, there are bins for poop on the tow path.
The site is open to the public from 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 10 am -3 pm on Monday.
The carving will stop at 12 pm in order to prepare for the auction at 1.30 pm
There’s just weeks to go before I welcome 22 stonemasons to the Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester.
These craftsmen and woman are giving up their time to carve magnificent sculptures from Cotswold limestone that has been donated by Veizeys Quarry near Tetbury.
The mythical creatures will take shape over the 2 and a half days as the stone carvers use all their skills to delight and amaze you. The carvings will be available to buy in the live auction which will take place on Bank Holiday Monday.
The benches that the stonemasons will be using are being built free of charge by Severnside Scaffolding a local Gloucester firm. The benches are being arranged in such a way that you can walk around the stonemasons and watch them at work.
On site over the weekend there will be demonstrations by some members of the Forgotten Skills group, you can try your hand at stone carving with me and some of my trusty volunteers, coin stamping with the Newport Ship trust or one of the activities by the Gloucester Geology trust, (there is a small fee or a donation for activities)
You will also get the chance to win one of my carvings, I am offering my carving of Demeter, the Greek Goddess of harvest and Grain, tickets are just £3 each and all the money raised helps to pay for the event.
I’m afraid that I didn’t get time to carve a Medusa’s head but she might still be carved by one of the stonemasons over the weekend.
Sebastien David is a French Stonemason and will be able to show you some of the things that his company produces as well as showing you samples of some beautiful french stone that he imports. Jewellery by Helen, you will be able to see and buy some of the latest designs by this up and coming jewellery designer/maker and there will be tours of the newly restored buildings.
If you are driving, there are several car parks close by, the nearest one is in Gloucester College, there is one down the road on the Hempsted flyover and the multi story car park in the quays. These are pay and display or pay as you leave. The buses and trains into Gloucester are very reasonable, you would need to walk to the docks, we are the other side of the Canal from the restaurants and the cinema.
Sainsbury’s is the nearest supermarket if you fancy picking up something for a picnic but I have got Isabel’s bakehouse selling fresh sweet and savoury crepes and Severn Cider running a bar.
I really hope that you will pay my event a visit and enjoy yourself.
For those of you that like to sleep under canvas or have a caravan here are some links to campsites near Gloucester.
Twigworth Court Farm, which is between Gloucester and Tewkesbury but on the main bus route if you fancy having a drink.
The Apple Tree is a camping and caravan park, on the A38 it’s on a direct route to the Llanthony Secunda Priory.
Briarfields is also on a main route between Cheltenham and Gloucester.
I am delighted that Mark Stafford Lovatt our silver tongued auctioneer is back again this year to help you part with your money.
The auction takes place on Bank Holiday Monday at 1.30pm.
The stonemasons use all their skills to carve amazing and wondrous sculptures in the form of Mythical creatures.
This year one of my fellow stonemasons took his own life, it is always a shock when someone gets so desperate this is their only way out. In memory of Billy, the Samaritans will receive 10% of the profit from the auction.
The other 90% will go to the Llanthony Secunda priory Trust to continue their valuable work.
I am pleased to show you this years raffle prize, I don’t have time to carve a new sculpture so Medusa will have to be another day.
This is Demeter, she is the Greek Goddess of Harvest and Grain and I will be carving some ears of wheat in her hair and scarf. I thought she is very apt for the time of year.
She is carved out of French limestone from Caen in Normandy, one of the original building materials brought over by the Normans.
She is 8 x 8 x 12 and 3/4 inches in size and took approximately 100 hrs to carve.
Tickets are £3 and are on sale from my studio, the draw will take place as always after the auction. Proceeds from the sale of the tickets will go towards paying for the festival.
I had a visit to the Priory a few weeks ago and took some photos for you to see.
The piece with my hand on it is going to be used for the raffle prize that I will be carving, it is originally off the stable building and dates back roughly 500 yrs. I believe it is Cotswold stone but I can’t be any more certain than South Gloucestershire because of it’s similarities to Painswick and Tetbury stone.
The site is slowly coming back to something recognisable and I look forward to welcoming you to my festival on August the 25th, 26th and 27th. Don’t forget the auction is on Bank Holiday Monday at 1.30pm.
