Salisbury Cathedral wins award for stone masonry work

The team's been recognised for restoring the East End gable

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 13th Dec 2024

A national award's been given to Salisbury Cathedral for their painstaking restoration and stone masonry work.

They've got a prize from the Natural Stone Awards, recognising the best in efforts to use the material in projects, for their work on the East End gable of the building.

That marked the culmination of a 37-year major repair programme - restoring the spire, tower and main body of the Cathedral.

The Salisbury Cathedral team picked up their award at a ceremony in London

Chicksgrove Limestone, from a quarry close to Tisbury and was used to complete the repairs, just like when the Cathedral was built over 800 years ago.

Salisbury is one of only 10 cathedrals to have an in-house team of skilled stonemasons who still use original carving techniques to conserve the cathedral for future generations.

The award judges said: "The work at the East End is of a consistent and exemplary representative quality that has been achieved throughout the entire project and it is fantastic to see the Cathedral sans scaffolding at last.”

Clerk of Works at Salisbury Cathedral, Gary Price said: “We are delighted that our work on this incredible building is being recognised by The Stone Federation. It has been a privilege to oversee the Major Repair Programme.”

Salisbury Cathedral's Gary Price with one of the restored stones

Canon Treasurer Kenneth Padley, who is responsible for the fabric of the building said:

“We are delighted that our amazing Works team has received this honour, and that the track record of Salisbury Cathedral to delivering heritage excellence has been acknowledged on a national stage. The Cathedral remains, as it was built, a beacon to the glory and eternity of God.”

The latest restoration project on site is focussed on the Cathedral cloisters, which are the largest in England.

They are made up of some of the most elaborately carved stones around the Cathedral, also using Purbeck and Chicksgrove limestone.

The Cathedral set up a campaign to help pay for the works, where we can sponsor a stone in the North cloisters, and have four characters carved into the stone before it is set in place.

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