Stonework comprises many forms of skilled labour – quarrying, masonry and carving. All of these play an important role in the production of eighteenth-century architecture. But how much do we know about what stoneworkers themselves actually contributed to the achievement of the period? In this section of the exhibition we hope to address those questions by showcasing some of the best stonework the period has to offer, diving into manuscript sources to reveal the details of its production, and providing expert analysis from practitioners of the craft today. For further material, see our website’s general introduction on stone.

The most ancient of the building arts, stone masonry and stonecutting was a prestigious craft throughout the early modern period. The introduction of a new classical decorative vocabulary called for a workforce skilled in the technical execution of this architectural language, resulting in a vibrant trade in materials and migration of practitioners across Britain and Ireland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. From column and carved capital, dressed wall masonry or framed aperture, and their attendant ornaments, each element in this complex syntax of classicism was the result of a vast industry involving the procurement, supply and working of stone.

The CRAFTVALUE team have been actively exploring this topic, carrying out wide-ranging archival and site work, which has unearthed untapped material throughout Britain and Ireland. From quarry to finished piece this section explores the material qualities and techniques involved in the cutting, shaping and construction of dressed-ashlar stone facings and rustic work, classical decorative mouldings and carved chimney pieces. It includes digital animations and reconstructions of existing and lost works, unpublished manuscript material and insightful interviews with craft practitioners and geologists at Castletown, Co. Kildare in 2023.