The team at West Country Tiling are roof specialists. Our craftsmen are fully trained and vastly experienced in all aspects of traditional roofing. However, they are not stone masons. For this particular skill set, we have worked closely with Jan Kerr and his team for over 30 years.
As part of our additional services, we provide the highest quality stone masonry. Whether a church needs a new cross carving, or restoration work is required on a historic building, we trust JB Kerr Stone Repair and Conservation to deliver every time.
We recently caught up with Jan and asked him a few questions about stone masonry and his work with us.
What work do you do in conjunction with the West Country Tiling team?
The first project we worked on together was Hampton Court Palace. I trust Toby and his team and we now work together regularly. He provides the scaffolding and roofers on my projects and I provide stone masonry on his.
What exactly does a stone mason do?
Stone masonry is one of the oldest trades on the planet, back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans. All of the cathedrals and churches in the UK would have been worked on by stone masons, they were the original architects.
We carry out a lot of stone carving and restoration work. This can include conservation by applying shelter coating, lime mortar or lime renders. Our job is to preserve the stone in situ, not replace it. As long as the stone is doing its job, we want to keep it in place.
What kind of projects do you work on?
We only used traditional methods when working on National Trust buildings, churches and private houses. Often this includes repointing walls, where cement has been used previously. We take out the cement and replace it with the traditional lime.
What is your preferred work as a stone mason?
Physically, I prefer doing banker work, which is carving stone. But I don’t get to do that so much anymore, as I’m too busy running my business. I have an excellent team of stone masons who carry out the work. I spend a lot of my time speaking to clients and conservation officers about the buildings. Giving them options for preserving the stone. Sometimes this involves changing their minds, for example if they want to replace a stone, I try to persuade them to preserve it, as it’s part of our history. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Conservation is what I really enjoy.
Why should you use a specialist stone mason and not a builder?
When it comes to traditional stone masonry, a builder won’t be able to do the job properly. Using lime mortar is a real skill, to get it to blend in. So that it matches the building, we will take a piece of mortar out and analyse it. Often this involves visiting the local sand supply, to see what is available nearby, as traditionally the original stone masons would have gathered materials from what was nearby.
We also carve stone, your general builder cannot do this. They might be able to build a wall out of rubble, whereas we build walls out of ashlar, with mouldings and string cornices. Stone masonry is a craft, not building work.
Why choose West Country Tiling
Our team is experienced in carrying out traditional reroofs and roof repair and roof maintenance. If your project requires stone masonry, we will always recommend Jan and his team.
Contact us if you have a project that requires an expert team of roofers and stone masons. Please get in touch on 01373 462 224 or by emailing us on info@westcountrytiling.com.