Grace Impesi
Apprentice Stonemason at Lincoln Cathedral
“To be able to work and shape a stone that will be around for possibly hundreds of years is such a beautiful concept and I am really happy to be a part of it.”
Tell us a bit about your current job.
I am an Apprentice Stonemason for Lincoln Cathedral and I am just about to start my 3rd and final year. I work Monday to Friday alongside the Cathedral’s Stonemasons. I am basically learning how to shape stone with the use of chisels and mallets in order to replace damaged, weathered and structurally unsound stones from the cathedral. For now, I am trained to work purely with hand tools in a similar way as to what medieval masons used to work like.
What and where did you study after school?
After finishing school in Italy and gaining a Diploma in Languages, Economics, Literature and Business I moved to Scotland to attend the University of Aberdeen where I studied and gained a Scottish MA in Art History and Sociology.
How did you get from answer 2 to answer 1?
When I finished school, like many young people, I was unsure of what to do in terms of a career, so I decided to go to University as It would give me some time to learn and explore new ideas and realities. During the summers, when lectures had finished, I often spent my time volunteering and travelling. I ended up one summer helping out and living at a community workers’ cooperative in Scotland. It was here that I first got hands on experience at being part of a build project. I learned how to make lime and cement mixes, bricklaying, dry stone walling and building pizza ovens from cob and reclaimed materials. Working every day in a practical way and seeing the progress of the build gave me a purpose and a feeling of fulfilment that I had not experienced anywhere else. So it is at this point that I realised working hands on and being part of the construction industry was the path to take for me. As my interests lie in traditional methods and the preserving of the past and I remembered rather enjoying working with stones as a material, I looked out for apprenticeships and after a few interviews I managed to secure my job here at Lincoln Cathedral.
How does your formal education feed into your present career (if at all)?
In regards to my degree, having a good understanding of how our built environment changed throughout the decades and knowing the correct terminology for different parts of a building has been extremely helpful. I am also rather thankful for the Latin lessons I had to follow in Italy, which I found very boring and not very useful at the time, as a lot of classical names in architecture are directly related to their Latin names. Sociology on the other hand, has been useful in terms of better understanding my work environment but also in a more general sense it has enabled me to have a better understanding of the people and places I have been in contact with.
In terms of being a Stonemason, having a good understanding of geometry is extremely advantageous. Aside from this, I would say that common sense and a willingness to learn are far more important than any formal education you could have. This said, learned knowledge has its benefits in helping one to be more confident and well-rounded and, more significantly, to be able think critically for oneself.
What things have you learnt outside of formal education that have been helpful to your career?
Having a diverse range of interests has helped me in stonemasonry. Being able to carve wood for example, has helped me when carving stone. Similarly, being interested in heritage buildings and their history has instilled within me the notion of putting the benefits of the building I work for above any other aspects that are present in a working life. Being physically fit and active has also helped me quite a bit as my job is physically demanding and I don’t think I would be able to do my job as effectively if I weren’t able to lift and move stones and bags of mortar.
What are the really useful skills for someone in your job to possess?
I think as a Stonemason patience and care for detail are essential. Sometimes you can end up spending weeks or even months working on the same piece of stone or part of a building. This is also why genuine care for the materials, project, co-workers and building is really important. Being practical and motivated are also good traits to have, but most importantly I think being able to make mistakes, learn from them and start over again and again without giving up is the way to really improve and make it as a mason.
What does an average day at work look like for you?
The average work day starts at 8 o’clock in the morning when we all meet in the workshop and discuss our daily tasks. Usually one will either spend the day working stone in the workshop, fixing stones on site, making hot lime mixes or pointing/chopping out mortar. At tea breaks and lunch breaks we all get together a have a laugh and a break from work. Sometimes we get to do unusual jobs like repairing wonky slabs inside the cathedral, helping out the glaziers, or going to a nearby propriety and repairing a brick wall. At 4.45pm we finish work and head home.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is that I get to work for a sacred building whilst learning traditional skills that I will be able to take with me wherever I go to in the future. To be able to work and shape a stone that will be around for possibly hundreds of years is such a beautiful concept and I am really happy to be a part of it.
What’s your least favourite aspect of your job?
This is my first Monday to Friday job and I initially found it rather hard to stick to such a demanding routine that forces all your free time to be in a weekend. Thankfully once I started to see my daily work as a part of something more important than free time I managed a lot better.
What advice would you give to someone seeking a job like yours?
If you are interested in becoming a stonemason, you could either message stonemasonry companies and ask if they are looking into hiring an apprentice, continuously check online vacancies for apprentices there are only a handful a year] or find a college near you that offers stonemasonry as a course.