Your Stories

Claire's story begins in Dorset where she first caught the masonry bug after going to the popular fortnight-long midsummer stone carving festival in Worth Matravers.

An abstract piece

"I'd been going to the stone carving festival and got more and more drawn into it. Then my dear old dad passed away and I wanted to do his headstone. Nine years on, even now it's the best piece I've ever done."

With a background in three dimensional art, after getting inspired by the festivals and getting some expert tuition under her chisel, Claire gradually honed her skills and set up a small workshop and classroom in Bradgate Manor, Netley Abbey.

Claire aims to sink a bit of soul into the stone - her bespoke, intricate pieces capture organic natural images from garden art lizards, sun goddesses and a flamboyant pagan Green Lady to simple abstract work.

One of Claire's courses in full swing

Over the years, Claire has also had the privilege of making a number of headstones.

It's a very solitary, personal and physical art where each piece of work often becomes a voyage of discovery: "A lot of times you start out with one idea and then the stone dictates what's going to happen."

Claire has produced many pieces in Portland Stone a limestone from the Jurassic period: "Portland stone is 150 million years old so it has little fossils and shells in it. You get a lovely fine, even texture through it because it's Jurassic sedimentary."

Portland Stone, mined from the Dorset coast is one of the most important building materials in the country. It has been quarried since the 12th century and was used by Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild St Paul's Cathedral between 1675 and 1710.