Thursday, 20 March 2014
In order to have a clear understanding on exactly what a stonemason is, the work they do, and the importance that they've played throughout their existence, i've done some more research, to establish defining factors about stonemasonry, in order to help with the overall story of the documentary, so that i can refer to this post for reminders.
Most of this research has been taken from wikipedia.
What is a stonemason?
Masonry is the craft of shaping rough pieces of rock into accurate geometrical shapes, at times simple, but some of considerable complexity, and then arranging the resulting stones, often together with mortar, to form structures.
Brief introduction on stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry (or stone-craft)
has existed since humanity could use and make tools[ - creating
buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These
materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient
monuments, artefacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures.
Stonemasonry is one of the earliest trades
in civilisation's history. During the time of the Neolithic Revolution and
domestication of animals, people learned how to use fire to create quicklime,
plasters, and mortars. They used these to fashion homes for themselves with
mud, straw, or stone, and masonry was born.
The Ancients heavily relied on the
stonemasons to build the most impressive and long lasting monuments to their
civilisations.
The Egyptians built their pyramids, the civilisations of Central
America had their step pyramids, the Persians their palaces, the Greeks their
temples, and the Romans their public works and wonders.
Castle building was an entire industry for
the medieval stonemasons. When the Western Roman Empire fell, building in
dressed stone decreased in much of Western Europe, and there was a resulting
increase in timber-based construction. Stone work experienced a resurgence in
the 9th and 10th centuries in Europe, and by the 12th century religious fervour
resulted in the construction of thousands of impressive churches and cathedrals
in stone across Western Europe.
Training
Traditionally medieval stonemasons served a
seven-year apprenticeship. A similar system still operates today.
A modern apprenticeship lasts four years.
This combines on-site learning through personal experience, the experience of
the tradesmen and college work where apprentices are given an overall
experience of the building, hewing and theory work involved in masonry. 
In some
areas, colleges offer courses which teach not only the manual skills but also
related fields such as drafting and blueprint reading or construction
conservation. Electronic Stonemasonry training resources enhance traditional delivery techniques.
Hands-on workshops are a good way to learn about stonemasonry
also. Those wishing to become stonemasons should have little problem working at
heights, possess reasonable hand-eye co-ordination, be moderately physically
fit, and have basic mathematical ability. Most of these things can be developed
while learning.
