Entertainment and leisure.

Stone Carving Workshops

Whether you’re looking for an experience to remember with a piece you carved to take home, to add some new techniques to your sculptors or stonemasons repertoire or learn more about the crafts history and while getting the feel for the tools little change over time you’ll find the academies extensive courses offer just the thing.

Choose from topics including relief carving, gargoyles and grotesques, letter cutting, banker work and more. Please bring any drawings, maquettes, ideas, sketch book and pencils.

By the end of your time with us you’ll be ready to go home and impress your family and friends with your newly acquired skills and knowledge!

Well Being and Social Prescribing

Drawing on my training and experience as a master craftsperson and apprentice master, some time ago I decided to offer the experience, once only available to craftspeople, to the public.  These workshops were open to all initially but, on reviewing the feedback, it soon became apparent that those students experiencing complex social needs affecting their wellbeing, loneliness, social isolation or low level mental health issues seemed to be the groups that got the most from our sessions.

I have been training people since 1995 and in this time, I have worked with a diverse range of individuals, including those experiencing subclinical depression, autism spectrum conditions, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and substance-use disorder.  Through my craft training sessions, I have also been able to support the personal development and rehabilitation of ex-offenders and ex service personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),

I knew of the benefits for those in long-term training, but over the years I have been amazed at the feedback I have had regarding the support this style of training has offered to those taking short courses.

Working and learning within a craft tradition and culture can ease and help prevent subclinical depression, as I have come to understand through the feedback I receive from my workshops with the public. For instance, here is an example of some feedback shared with me by a man from my over 50's group.

“(I) have been surprised at what I can achieve under expert mentoring - and the benefits go well beyond a developing skill set.  For me, there has been a significant mental health benefit.  This has become a great aid to combating the depression that came with retirement and I look forward to my weekly session in the workshop".

Some of the Benefits

• Research shows that engaging in regular craft activities can have significant mental health benefits, including: -
• Enhanced Cognitive Functions: Regular physical activity and creative expression have been linked to improved memory, cognitive abilities, and a reduced risk of cognitive decline. 
• Social Interaction: Craft workshops provide opportunities for social connections, crucial for combating loneliness and isolation, particularly in middle and older age. 
• Creativity and Emotional Well-Being: The hands-on nature of crafting can induce a “flow state,” offering therapeutic benefits and enhancing confidence and motivation among participants. 
• Our courses offer a safe, friendly environment and are well suited to social prescribing initiatives and community referrals.

I provide workshops from two venues in Gloucestershire but can also come to other locations with everything necessary for a stone carving session. I can offer courses in: Southwest England, London, South Wales and Ireland.

Support Training and Education 

The Stonemasons Guild of St Stephen provides a selection of services in support of our registered objectives; education around stonemasonry skills and craftsmanship, record-keeping (maintenance of an archive and collection) and sharing and the actively supporting of the intangible heritage of the craft;  its history, culture, skills, traditions and in my opinion the most important, community.

We fund much of this work through the money raised from carving workshops, talks and demonstrations we offer to the public. 
The education for young people and support of all the objectives above directly relating to training of craftspeople and our communities are offered free. By being able to offer these educational programs free of charge, the Guild enables even those who may not have the means to access this educational experience and to to learn and appreciate this unique craft and culture whether it be schools or those who wish to pursue formal training.

Historical, Heritage and Archaeological Study

We offer a range of study events and practical and theoretical talks and demonstrations.

Technical training

For those talking their carving or banker work seriously, we offer training at all levels to stonemasons, sculptors and the general public.

We can work on overall improvement to your skills or specific techniques can be discussed and practiced.

Workshop days are most productive when held over the course of a working day, typically 9am – 4pm, with a scheduled lunch break and provision for informal refreshment breaks, which are particularly important for newcomers to the craft who will need time to develop their stamina and focus within the craft process.

Stephen will recommend a project that can realistically be comfortably completed within the allotted day or programme schedule and students usually take their completed works home to show family and friends.