I am the sixth generation of my family
to be handed down this ancient trade,
although I cant imagine what my fore-fathers would think of this!!!
Originally from Scotland ,I moved to the USA in 1983,
and settled in North East Pennsylvania,
on the Eastern slopes of the Appalachian mountains.
which I have been involved in, the most recent being the construction
of a solid stone hotel complex in Churchill , Manitoba.
This will be at least a four year project, which not only involves building,
but also teaching and instructing apprentices.
Sadly this is a rare practice anymore, as most companies
do not want to hire and teach apprentices.
The methods I use to build have been used for thousands of years
in Northern Europe, and it must work as there are examples of it everywhere!
Unlike modern construction which relies on strong cements to basically
glue it together traditional random rubble relies on the skill
of the stonemason to tie each stone with another in such a way
that the entire structure spreads the load of the building.
Unfortunately the project in Manitoba is only for a few months in the summer,
and as I have to pay bills (yuck!), a full time job with a contractor is a necessity!
So I have to swallow some professional pride and do veneer work on
very expensive ( Over-priced!) homes in the
Bucks county area of Pennsylvania.
The stone tower was one of our more interesting projects.
Located in Forks Township, near Easton PA. It started out as a retaining wall
with a round corner and sort of grew into what you see here!
My kids loved it and wanted me to build them one like it for a play house…
unfortunately I will only ever build one example of any individual structure
as I hate duplicates!, this also applies to the little stone shop
I built for a stained glass business.
Quite a few people have asked about me building one like it but I tell them no copies!
Anyway more photos will soon be on this page as I get them,
so if anybody needs a good Stonemason or instructor…
"have trowel will travel".
