If you have read Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth you will know that it captures a moment in history when cathedral building changed forever. Architects wanted more light, higher walls and greater spans. To achieve that, masons had to understand forces that builders had never faced before. Although the story takes place in fictional Kingsbridge, it is easy to imagine the same challenges unfolding somewhere like Winchester.
Cathedrals often feel timeless, yet every arch and carving came from the hands and minds of real craftspeople like Follet’s Tom Builder. For years, former head stonemason at Winchester Cathedral, Will Davies, worked in close contact with their surviving decisions. The role gave him a rare understanding of medieval workmanship, from the precision of their geometry to the small adjustments they made on site. Although he now runs his own workshop as a stone carver, his appreciation for those earlier masons remains with him.
Rediscovering Medieval Geometry
In his workshop near Bramdean, on a bitterly cold November morning, Will talked me through the kind of work he carried out at the cathedral and why it often gave him pause for thought. He explained that to replace a single stone in a medieval window, he first had to redraw the entire window at full scale. With no original plans to guide him, the geometry had to be reconstructed piece by piece. He set out centre lines, striking points and curves to rebuild the exact same framework a mason in 1200 would have relied upon. Only once that layout made sense could he begin cutting a replacement stone.
This process astonished him every time because it demanded that he think exactly as those medieval masons had done. Their sequence of decisions became his own. He described the experience as a form of time travel. Up close too, he could read the small choices and skill level of the person who had shaped the stone centuries earlier, along with glimpsing their banker marks – the personal signatures of individual masons. Will naturally added his own mark too, a runic D (for Davies), continuing a tradition and leaving a clue for future masons to find.
Finding His Way Into Stone
Will did not set out to join this world. At school, academic subjects often felt abstract, though he enjoyed art and design technology. Life drawing and figurative sculpture appealed, but art courses all seemed too conceptual. Careers advice had few suggestions for him.
It was his mum who first suggested stonemasonry to him, recalling a school friendship with one of the cathedral’s masons. The idea immediately felt a natural fit, as his Winchester-based family has long been tied to the city’s craft traditions, from a great-grandfather who sang in the cathedral choir to a grandfather who worked as a bricklayer and church restorer. After gaining practical skills on restoration projects in London, he found the City and Guilds course that his 18-year-old self had been looking for. However, knows that he valued it more at 27. As is often the case, he also now relishes subjects like history and geometry, which never clicked at school but make perfect sense within the world of stone.
From Cathedral Mason to Stone Carver
Although Will loved his time at the cathedral, he eventually stepped away to set up his own workshop. Now, instead of the spirits of medieval masons, it is his rescue whippet, Blue, who keeps him company while he works. He still takes on some restoration projects but focuses mainly on carving. Most people would call him a sculptor, but he prefers the older trade name: stone carver. “Sculptor sounds a bit contemporary,” he said. “I still feel connected to the traditional craft.”
Will and Blue
Between commissions, Will is returning to his artistic roots and honing his own personal carving style. He enjoys experimenting with form and texture, often using his favourite material Kilkenny marble. This is a dense limestone, similar to our local Petworth marble, with clearly visible fossil shells that give it depth and character. He recently chose it for a memorial to Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in Westminster Abbey, selecting it because it reflected the explorer’s Irish heritage.
One piece that opened my eyes to the versatility of both stone and carver was a triptych of the sun, moon and stars. By using different finishes and gilding, Will has made each section appear as if it has been carved from different materials. Combined with the carved words, it is beautifully striking.
Talking to Will about his work, both personal pieces and commissions, it was clear that while stone might seem cold and inanimate to me, he loves giving it life. Through detailed conversations with clients, he creates pieces that carry emotional warmth, while also using the process as a form of mindful therapy for himself.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Keen to inform others Will goes into schools and shares his work online, documenting carving techniques and the slow, careful decisions behind each piece. He hopes these glimpses into the craft reach children who, like him, might not fit typical classroom routes. His following may be smaller than stonemasonry influencer Charlie Gee, but his videos offer a window into a trade that deserves more attention.
Spending time with Will revealed just how much thought and skill is embedded in the walls of historic buildings and monuments. With nothing more than a hammer and chisel – the tools of the trade that have barely changed in over a thousand years – he carries on the work of medieval masons, one carefully measured cut at a time. Each strike reflecting precision, patience and a deep understanding of both the material and the centuries of tradition behind it.
For more information about what Will does visit his website HERE
