City of Bath College stonemason Luke Kingston has returned victorious from one of the industry’s most respected competitions after impressing judges with his talent and expertise.
The 26-year-old triumphed in the UK Masonry Skills challenge and will now go on to compete in the National Skillbuild final in Birmingham in September.
The Level 3 Stonemasonry student was awarded second place after going head-to-head with about 15 students from across the Midlands and south of England in the regional heat. Taking the results from all the heats into account, Luke came third in the UK.
The stonemasons had eight hours to design, draw templates and make a classical architectural panel using only a mallet and chisel.
Luke said it was hard not to let the nerves get the better of him as he was working with Yorkstone rather than Portland limestone which he is used to.
He said: “I was exhausted as I hadn’t slept well the night before but you can’t really prepare for the pressure of competitions, you just have to knuckle down and power on through it.
“You just have to concentrate on what you are doing and keep your head down. I could see in my head how I wanted it to look so I tried to stay confident and I just went for it.
“It was a real endurance test; you don’t really have time to look up, maybe only to wipe the sweat off your brow then to get back to it. But the trick is to persevere until the end.”
Luke was one of three City of Bath College students who won a college competition to compete in the UK Masonry Skills competition, which was judged by the Stone Federation of Great Britain. The other CoBC students taking part were Stephen Poole and Peter Crinnion.
Luke added: “I’m excited about SkillBuild; I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity and I hope it will open a lot of doors.
“My plan is to spend the summer practising; I want to get as much masonry work as possible so I can get more experience.”
Luke worked as a bricklayer for seven years before returning to college to re-train as a stonemason as “the accuracy is more demanding” and “you learn something new every day.”
The self-employed stonemason has carried out a lot of church work and previously worked on large stone boulders for the Laurent Perrier Garden at Chelsea Flower Show.
Last week Luke also competed in Bristol’s first Festival of Stone. He had four days to make an architectural element in a baroque style.
Stonemasonry lecturer Ray Sumner said: “Stonemasonry competitions are a great opportunity to recognise and highlight the talent that is coming through City of Bath College.
“Luke’s success is a testament to his hard work and dedication, we are all very proud that he has secured a place in such a prestigious national competition.”
If you would like to know more about stonemasonry courses on offer at City of Bath College call 01225 312191 or visit www.citybathcoll.ac.uk
