Trainee stonemasons from City of Bath College are continuing to play a key role in the restoration of Woodchester Mansion – a stunning 19th century Victorian Gothic property.
The most recent contributions to the long-term restoration project are two Medieval-style grotesques. One was carved for display inside the visitors’ area of the mansion so that the public can view the old and the new side by side, while the other has been installed on the apex of the mansion.
The new carvings are ‘hunky punks’ – a term given to grotesque stone figures carved to ornament corners and break up straight sections of stonemasonry.
They were carved by stonemasonry students Sam Flintham and Phil Windley.
Sam, whose hunky punk will be displayed in the Mansion’s visitors’ area, said: “I was inspired to create the carving by a badly weathered monkey grotesque which was removed from the top of the west gable at Woodchester Mansion.
“I was excited by the challenge of trying to re-create the carving as close to the original as possible. My aim was to use the sparse clues available in the decayed carving to inspire a vision of how it may have looked 150 years ago.
“To think that my carving is going to be on display at the mansion is incredible. To have played an important role in the restoration of such an historic building is a wonderful feeling.”
Last year, another College stonemasonry student, Jitka Palmer, created a Gothic-inspired carving, called Wooster, which was installed high up on the Mansion roof.
The original hunky punks have decayed over the years and have been removed from the building, to be replaced by new copies. The originals will be on display inside the mansion to avoid any further weather erosion.
Woodchester Mansion, tucked away in the secluded Cotswold Valley, just outside Stroud, was mysteriously abandoned mid-construction in 1873. The Grade 1 listed building has been saved from dereliction and partially restored, but will never be completed.
The building boasts incredible architecture and the carvings are among the best in the world.
Thanks to a partnership between City of Bath College and Woodchester Mansion Trust, stonemasonry students have been taking part in a long-term project at the Mansion, which has seen them work on numerous different areas of the building.
Paul Maggs, Stonemasonry lecturer, said: “Students from City of Bath College have now been working at Woodchester Mansion over many months and have played a very important part in its on-going restoration.
“I know the students have enjoyed the responsibility of working on such an important historic building and have learned valuable skills that they will be able to take with them into the workplace.”
City of Bath College offers a range of stonemasonry courses and apprenticeships. For more information call 01225 312191 or visit www.citybathcoll.ac.uk
For more information about Woodchester Mansion visit: www.woodchestermansion.org.uk
