Durham Cathedral's stonemasons receive £3m funding boost

Karen Thurlaway working away at Durham Cathedral Credit: Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral's stonemasons will benefit from £3 million of funding.

As part of a two week celebration of stonemasonry skills, visitors to Durham Cathedral will be able to see the stonemasons hard at work in the unique setting of the Cloisters.

The funding was supported by the Hamish Ogston Foundation (HOF) who joined forces with the Cathedrals’ Workshop Fellowship (CWF) earlier this year, to invest £3.1m over five years. The money will fund up to 25 stonemasonry and joinery trainees at English cathedrals.

It also means stonemasons Grace Impesi and Karen Thurlaway will be able to continue their training. They have both recently been successful in their applications to join the Cathedrals’ Workshop Fellowship Foundation degree programme which starts in September 2021.

As well as being able to see these stonemasonry skills in action, the Durham Cathedral team are also offering the opportunity for those with a deeper interest to learn the skill themselves on a stone carving workshop taking place on Saturday 21 August and Sunday 22 August.