THE ancient craft which enabled Lincoln’s soaring gothic cathedral to rise above the city will be celebrated in a special event this summer.
More than 100 stonemasons will fly to the city from all over the world to celebrate the European Stone Festival in the shadow of the city’s defining monument.
It is only the second time the UK has hosted the festival and the first time it has come to our shores in a decade.
And it will be the first time so many masons have gathered in the city since St Hugh’s restoration project in the 12th century.
The public will be able to watch the masons – who will come from as far afield as Norway, Sweden, India, the US, Canada and Switzerland – at work as they compete to create the best carving.
At every festival the masons are given a challenge to create a carving to fit a particular theme, with this year’s subject being food and farming chosen in recognition of the county’s rich agricultural heritage.
All the work will take place on the East Green from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 23rd June and offers visitors a rare opportunity to see the traditional craftsmen and women at work.
There will even be an area set aside to give people a chance to test their own skills.
The masons will down tools at 2:15 pm on the Sunday afternoon. All the worked stones will be on display, and prizes will be awarded for the best work in each category.
At 3pm a professional auctioneer will auction of the work of all the masons giving residents and businesses the opportunity to buy a unique piece of stonework. All proceeds will go to Lincoln Cathedral Fabric.
The festival has been organised by the Lincoln Cathedral’s own Works Department and the cathedral’s own masons and carvers will be taking a prominent role.
“It’s a real privilege for the city to be hosting such an event,” said cathedral works manager Carol Heidschuster.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to see the incredible skills of masons close up and get an understanding of the work that was involved in building our city’s incredible cathedral.
“This traditional craft has changed little since the days the cathedral was built so to watch the masons in the shadow of the cathedral should be quite something.”
The festival, which is free to visit, takes place during the same weekend as the 1000 Years of Traditional Crafts event at Lincoln Castle.
Over the weekend the grounds of Lincoln Castle will be filled with craftspeople demonstrating traditional skills from blacksmithing and pole lathe to willow weaving, jewellery making and silver smithing.
The two events will be joined together by a Select Lincolnshire food fair on Castle Hill, featuring local Lincolnshire food and drink.For more information about the festival or the auction of carvings